Diez Fleur: Akumas' Love Voyage
by NinjaSheik
Summary: To the world, they were demons. To their crew, they were friends and fellow comrades. To each other, they were more than anything else combined. Scarred from troubled, horrific pasts, will they be able to overcome their own fears and doubts to find what they want yet never knew they needed? Or will they both agonized and yearned for someone they can never have?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**Since _One Piece_has multiple outfit designs for the characters in the openings, endings, anime, games, and movies, I'm going to use them in the story to save time from explaining what every character is wearing. There will be a list of clothes in the beginning of each chapter, but the details of the clothes will sometimes be described within the chapters. If you see a dash—/—it indicates that the characters are wearing more than outfit in a chapter, _but_ at a different time. If one character is wearing their second outfit in a chapter, then the others are wearing it, too. Keep in mind that the characters are seen in the same outfit for over a long period of time. Skip the list if you're not interested, I really just put in there for myself. I know this may seem like a waste of time, but as an author, visual imagination is important to me.

Any trademark accessories/clothes of the Straw Hats will still be on their bodies, such as Luffy's straw hat and sandals, Zoro's green haramaki, black bandanna and pants, Usopp's olive-green bandana and shoes, his sniper goggles, and blue-and-white-striped wristband, Chopper's pink hat with the white X, Franky's blue speedos and golden chain necklace, and et cetera. Anything seen repeatedly on the characters throughout the series will not be described. For example, if Luffy's part lists him wearing his main outfit, he is wearing his straw hat on his head and sandals on his feet even if I didn't write it out.

**Luffy's Clothes: **Normal red vest with yellow buttons and blue shorts with white fur hemmed at the bottom.

**Zoro's Clothes: **An opened gray shirt from the end of the Thriller Bark Arc.

**Nami's Clothes: **Purple tank top with black liners, denim shorts, and light brown sandals from _One Piece 3D: Straw Hat Chase_.

**Usopp's Clothes: **Normal brown overalls with a white sash with no shirt underneath.

**Sanji's Clothes:** Normal black, double-breasted suit with a black tie and pants and a long-sleeved, buttoned light blue shirt underneath.

**Chopper's Clothes: **Normal maroon shorts.

**Robin's Clothes: **Buttoned, pinstriped light purple sweater, black pants, and black high-heeled shoes from the end of the Enies Lobby Arc.

**Franky's Clothes: **Yellow shirt with violet bull-like markings on each side on the front and on the back from the Thriller Bark Arc.

**Brook's Clothes: **Normal black suit with a dark blue cravat tie and black top hat.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

_"Mind if I tag along, Swordsman?"_

_"Sure, 'long as you promise not to slow me down."_– Episode 159

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

As a man that lives off the land and sea, Zoro found the most pleasure in days like this one. The bright sun, cool breeze, warm weather, and the calm sea—the perfect day for an afternoon nap aboard the _Thousand Sunny_ as it sailed through the Grand Line. With his three swords by his side—still donning the gray shirt he wore after the crew left the nightmarish Thriller Bark—Zoro slept below one of the trees on the main deck, his chin down on his chest and mouth slightly parted. The rest of the crew was somewhere on the _Sunny_ doing their own business, which meant that the sound of his light snores were heard by one person.

Sitting upon the swing, which was tied to the tree he was sleeping underneath, was the Straw Hat Pirates' intelligent and beautiful archeologist, her azure eyes reading over the pages of a red leather-bound book. In spite of the warm climate, she was dressed in the same tight, buttoned pinstriped purple sweater she wore when the Straw Hats left Water Seven. Her presence was one of comfort and respect for him. She was, after all, the only member of his crew to never disturb him when he was napping.

It was strange—ironic, really—that he thought the way of her now. When Robin first charmed the crew into letting her join, the swordsman was wary of her. She was a former enemy, so she couldn't be trusted. The former Vice President of Baroque Works managed to gain acceptance among the others, but not him. Since he wasn't as gullible or idiotic as his rubbery captain and the rest of his friends, he took it upon himself to keep an eye on her. It was what his logic—his survival instincts—told him to do. A woman dangerous and shady as her was capable of trickery and assassination, doing whatever it takes to remove obstacles from her path. After the events of Enies Lobby when Robin's horrific past and pure-hearted motives for abandoning the Straw Hats were revealed, Zoro finally and completely put his absolute trust in her. She had proven herself to be a kind and reliable person worthy of his respect. Now, he was free to nap beside her during quiet, peaceful days such as th—

"YOU DUMBASSES!"

Never mind.

Zoro's eyelids instantly shot open as Robin swiveled her head in direction of the kitchen, the source of where the thunderous voice emanated from. Hearing the noise from the Soldier Dock System, Franky popped his head from the hatch just in time to see their childish captain, cowardly sniper, frightened doctor, and shrilling musician come flying through the kitchen door and landing facedown onto the grassy deck.

"WE SAID WE WERE SORRY!" Luffy cried as Sanji stomped out from the galley.

"'Apologies won't cut it!" Fuming, the cook whacked Luffy and the others on their heads with one of his powerful feet.

"What's going on?" Nami inquired in exasperation as she emerged from the women's quarters, her hands on her narrow waist. She leveled the Gum-Gum Devil Fruit user with a hard stare. "Luffy, what did you do?"

"These idiots," the blond-haired man pointed an accusing finger at Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, and Brook as his visible eye shimmered with blatant anger, "ate the last of our food supply in a eating contest!"

"What?!" The navigator's jaw dropped. Glaring murderously at her captain, she gripped his red vest and shook him vigorously. "LUFFY! IS THIS TRUE?!"

"Wouldn't surprise me if it was," Zoro commented with a yawn, drowsy from his nap. Hearing that Luffy and the others eating out their food supply was nothing new to him. Being together for so long with the gluttonous man in his quest to become the King of the Pirates, he was used to his best friend's predictable idiocy.

"We said we were sorry," Luffy repeated, unaffected by his enraged cartographer.

"What's the big deal, anyway? We'll just buy more."

To help ease his nerves, Sanji lit a cigarette in his mouth. "Food doesn't come cheap, imbecile."

"So what? We have plenty of money from Thriller Bark," he reminded ignorantly. Frustrated, Nami let him go with a rough shove. He fell on his butt next to Brook, who was sitting with his legs crossed while Chopper and Usopp were cowering behind the skeleton.

"Actually, we don't," Robin inserted. Rising from her seat, she gently closed her book and held it beneath her lovely large breasts. "Don't you remember, Captain? You kept insisting on have large banquets after we left, thus depleting our food storage. Afterwards, we spent most of the treasure to stock up on rations on the last island about three weeks ago."

"So much do we have, then?" Franky quizzed as he came to her side.

"I'd say about enough money to buy supplies to last us about two weeks. We're also running out of fresh water, so I'd say we have until that long before we all starve to death." There was a pause before she added with morbid curiosity, "I wonder how long it will take our bodies to decay."

"Ew! Robin, don't say stuff like that," Nami chided with disgust, and then reached into her shorts to pull out a map from one its pockets. "Okay, according to where we are now, we should arrive at the next island in a hour or so."

"Then there's nothing to worry about," Luffy cheered, hopping onto his feet with a grin plastered on his youthful face. With a groan, Zoro scrubbed at hand over his stern face at his best friend's simple-mindedness. Typical Luffy. He never sees the bigger picture.

"You moron, don't you get it?" Sanji stuffed his hands in his black trousers. "Even if we do have enough money to buy supplies when we reach the next island, we're going be broke."

The captain blinked, dumbfounded. "Huh? Really?"

"YES, REALLY!" the thief and chef shouted in unison, prompting their leader to shield his ears from his screaming crewmates.

"Okay, I get it!"

The orange-haired woman turned her attention the crew. "All right, listen up. Robin, Zoro, Sanji, and I will be going into town to get the supplies once we've reached the island. Franky, you're staying behind on the _Sunny_."

"Why me?" the cyborg asked, clearly surprised.

"And what about us, Nami?" Chopper squeaked from his hiding spot behind Brook, although only half of his face was hidden and the rest of furry body was visible. "I wanted to go buy more medical books and medicine when we got to the next island."

"Yeah, I wanted to get more materials for the invention I'm working on with Franky," Usopp added in.

"And I wanna go exploring," Luffy pouted as their musician bobbled his head in agreement.

"You and the others can forget it," Nami frowned deeply. "All of you are grounded until we find a way to earn more Berries."

"WHAAAT?!"

"You heard me!" Ignoring the four's disappointed whines; she pivoted to the shipwright.

"Franky, go steer the helm."

With a defeated sigh, the blue-haired man gave her a mock salute as he slouched over to _Sunny's_bow. As the four troublemakers followed Nami to the library in a futile attempt to convince her to lift their punishment, Sanji sauntered back into the kitchen, mumbling about Luffy and the others being a pain in the ass.

Zoro, never moving from his spot under the tree, raked a hand through his short hair irritation. "This is just _great_. Those idiots are always getting us into more messes than we really need. I knew that witch was gonna force me into gathering supplies."

Robin flashed him an amused smile, returning to her spot on the swing. "Were you planning to do anything special, Swordsman?"

"Not really. I just don't want to be stuck being someone's pack mule like that idiot cook," the ex-bounty hunter grumbled. "I just wanna do my own thing."

"Ah, I see," the older woman giggled mildly. She gave him another smile, although this one seemed more...sad, before diverting her irises back to her tome. The first mate shot her a confused look. Did he say something to offend her? Robin was mysterious as ever. She was always a difficult one to figure out, the truth always buried underneath that charming façade of hers. When Zoro gazed at her, he saw a puzzle that was just waiting to be solved.

Perhaps it was just a 'woman thing' that he'll never be able to understand. Either way, there was no use dwelling on something weird and complicated as the female mind. Stretching his arms in the air, the swordsman let out another yawn and fell back asleep.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

_My, how endearing,_Robin thought wistfully, peeking over her book to watch the slumbering swordsman. He was an amusing and interesting man to her. Since day one with the Straw Hats, Robin studied each and every one of her comrades to obtain a better understanding of them. Out of all of them, Zoro was the hardest to piece together. While Luffy and the others accepted her instantly, _he_ kept his distance from her. He used to wear the mask of an aloof warrior around her, which occasionally came along with his gruff and cautious glares.

Her attempt to learn more about the grumpy green-haired man hasn't change since then. Seeing now that he was no longer held any suspicions toward her, Robin thought that getting close to the swordsman would be easier, but it wasn't. From time to time, she would ask him subtle questions, to which he responded by changing the subject or ignoring her. He was defiantly different from the rest of the crew. He wasn't open or expressive about himself, making him complicated to read.

It was as if he was a...puzzle.

She desired to know more about him, to understand him as a comrade and as a historian, just like the rest of the Straw Hats. It wasn't hard for her others to answer her inquires, but Zoro was most certainly a challenge, but that didn't mean she was giving up on the first mate.

However, it was more than just her inquisitive mind seeking to learn more about him. Robin felt like she could relate to Zoro more than anyone else within the crew. She thought it was because of their similar personalities, but she later realized that was not the case. No matter how many times she pondered about it, she couldn't find the answer to her own question.

The only thing Robin did know is that she felt a compelling need to bring herself closer to her sleeping shipmate.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"Okay, everyone, you know what you have to do," Nami remarked to once they dropped anchor on the island. "Franky, keep a good eye on Luffy and the others while we're gone."

"Got it, Nami-sis." The mechanic gave her a small wave as she, Sanji, Robin, and Zoro stalked into town for their assigned tasks. Nami and Sanji were to stock up on food and fresh water while the raven-haired beauty and swordsman were to gather herbs and tools.

With nothing else to do, Franky plopped down to the wooden bench that circled the foremast, a cold bottle of cola in one his giant palms. It's too bad he had to listen to Luffy and the others whine over and over again about not being able to go into town for the rest of the day. The Straw Hat Pirates are a _super_ weird crew, indeed. Who ever heard of a navigator grounding their captain?

"This is so unfair," Straw Hat complained for the fifth time since the others left. He sat on the railing of the _Sunny_ with Long Nose, Reindeer-Gorilla and Skeleton, fishing rods in their hands with the lure floating in the ocean. As part of their so-called 'punishment', they were to catch as many fish as they can by the time the others get back. "I wanna go on an adventure!"

Chopper sighed quietly and murmured, "I wanted to buy more books and medicine with Robin."

"Come now, don't be so sad," Brook chimed in to raise the good doctor's spirit.

Usopp sent an irked glare at his ravenous leader. "This is all your fault, Luffy. If you hadn't eaten all of the food, we wouldn't be stuck on the _Sunny_ doing this."

"HEY!" The raven-haired man's countenance shifted from whiny to mad at the accusation. "You ate all the food, too!"

"You're the one who wanted to have an eating contest in the first place!"

"Then why'd you join in?!"

"You told me that—"

Franky let out an exasperated groan as the argument continued. Flipping his black sunglasses over his eyes, the carpenter gazed up at the clear blue sky. He'd normally love to play with Straw Hat and the others by showing them one of his inventions or his robotic body, but he wanted buy more materials for his upcoming projects.

Unfortunately, he was stuck on the ship with nothing to keep him entertained. He sent a glance at Straw Hat, who was currently struggling to yank his fishing rod up with the help of Brook and Usopp while Chopper cheered his buddy on. Franky laughed when Luffy pulled his catch out of the sea, at the expense of being hurled over to the other side of _Sunny_ from using too much force. Unperturbed, the energetic youth hopped back on his feet, and proudly presented a well-sized fish to his friends.

"Staying behind isn't too bad, I guess," Franky admitted with a smile. "Besides, if I'd left the _Sunny_ alone with these guys, they're bound to cause a _super_ mess."

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"Now, let's see here. We got enough water and food for about two weeks, so that's done. We have some money left. I wonder if I can buy some more map charters with it."

Nami's almond hues swept over the stores and crowds diligently. From the weather, she knew this was a Summer Island. From what she had seen so far, the island was peaceful, aside of the other pirates roaming the bars for liquor. She knew there were other pirates around the town since she saw their ships docked at the port, which meant there aren't any Marines or police force to protect the people. As long as the citizens didn't get in the pirates' way, they were left alone.

"But one thing still bothers me," she proclaimed, halting in her tracks and placed a hand to her chin. "What are pirates doing on this island? I'm pretty sure they didn't just come here for the rum."

"Is there anything you want to go next, my sweet Nami?" Sanji swooned by her side with a heart-shaped eye, his hands carrying multiple bags of food and barrels of water were held under his arms.

The thief ignored him and zeroed in at several pirates talking outside a bar, particularly a chubby, bald-headed man holding a scrape of paper. He must be the captain, she deduced.

"—and now that we got this map, the treasure will be ours!" she heard him cackled in a raspy voice and his crew hollered in agreement. There were a lot of them, but Nami didn't care at the moment. As the word 'treasure' kept echoing in her ears like a resonating golden bell, Nami's devious mind conjured a plan to get her claws onto that map. With an inward, evil smirk, the thief sashayed over to the pirate crew with a fake, sweet smile etched upon her pretty visage.

"Huh? Nami, where're you going?" Sanji blinked in bewilderment when she started to walk away.

"Just stay there for a minute, Sanji," she called back without looking over her shoulder.

Being the love cook that he is, the blond-haired man happily obliged. "Of course, Nami-swan."

"Hey there, boys." The cute orange-haired woman planted her feet firmly in front of her next victims. Flashing them a flirty wink and seductive smirk, she put her scheme into action.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"That should be it, Swordsman."

"Finally, we're done!"

Robin giggled at Zoro's grouchy compliant they stepped out of the apothecary with bags clutched within their fingers. With their task completed, it was now time to head back to the ship.

"You go on ahead, Robin." Zoro stopped in the middle of the streets. "I'm going to take a detour."

As she ceased her gait, Robin pivoted and raised one beautifully sculpted eyebrow at her companion. "Where do you plan on going?"

"I'm going to a weapons shop. I'm going to get more cleaning supplies for my swords with the money we have left."

The archeologist titled her head to the side and gave him a polite smile. She could take advantage of opportunity to spend time with Zoro and learn more about him. "Well, if that's the case, do you mind if I tag along, Swordsman?"

Evidently shocked by the request, he took a moment to register her words. Why did she want to go to a weapons shop with him? The only thing she really was interested in was ruins and history books.

"Why?" he questioned.

"Well, I don't want you to lose your way, seeing that your directional skills is not quite as adept as the rest of us," the female pirate teased, enjoying how his ears flared red in humiliation. She always enjoyed him being put on the spot. She found his embarrassment to be very..._cute_. "So, do you mind if I tag along? I promise I won't be a bother."

"Sure, whatever." He grunted something else under his breath that Robin couldn't hear, and swiveled in a different direction, which was, of course, the wrong way to his chosen destination. Fortunately, Robin purchased a map when they were still at the docks and studied the layout of the island. The town was quite small since the island is mainly composed of mountains and forests, so the roads were easy to commit to memory.

"Swordsman, I believe the shop is the other way."

"I knew that." The male pirate hastily swiveled, his countenance flushing bright pink.

She grinned. "Of course you did."

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

As Zoro spoke with the owner of the store, Robin took the time view the shop with her sharp eyes. It was small and simple, swords decorating the walls and in barrels for customers to see. She peered at a sword with a black sheath and red stars that hung the closest to the counter, studying it down to its minutest details.

"All right, thanks." Zoro's voice drew her observation; her blue orbs watching the owner—a middle-aged with shaggy brown hair and stubble on his chin—make his way to the back to collect the items the ex-bounty hunter ordered. Lazily, Zoro lounged against the counter with his right hand dangling on his sword with the white scabbard—Wadō Ichimonji.

Robin's mind was piqued. Why is it that Zoro kept that particular sword closest to his heart? Watching him for so long, the raven-haired beauty noticed how gentle and carefully he care for that blade like a man caressing his lover. There must a story behind it, a deep and solemn history of such great importance to him that he couldn't even imagine being apart from it. Robin knew it and being the archeologist that she is, she let her inquisitiveness do the talking for her.

"Swordsman, may I ask a question?" she began.

"Depends. What do you want to know?" Ah, ever the suspicious one. This might not be as easy as getting Sanji into brewing a cup of coffee for her when she was yearning for the sip of that delicious substance.

"That pure white sword of yours, what is it to you?"

For a split second, the swordsman's eyes widened in shock and something else she couldn't decipher. His body went rigid, his stance stiffened. Gripping the hilt tightly with his left hand as if he was seeking some sort of comfort from it, Zoro relaxed his composure to show that her inquiry didn't bother him. Why was he hiding his reaction from her?

"What do you want to know that?" Zoro countered with a question of his own, his tone almost sounding like he was forcing himself to remain nonchalant. What was the history behind that sword that could cause such an alarmed response from him? Robin was becoming more curious by the second.

"Well, I've always wondered why you seem to treasure that sword so much. It's precious to you, isn't it? I wish to know why as a friend and archeologist," she replied coolly.

"It's just my favorite." Robin caught the flash of an emotion surfacing in his dark hues, the sound of his deep voice giving away of that certain feeling. The raven-haired woman almost gasped in disbelief. Why did Zoro looked and sounded so... Mournful? Hurt?

Robin felt like she shouldn't press on, realizing just how sensitive the topic may be for him, but something compelled her to push forward with the interrogation. In a soft, hesitant tone, she whispered, "But why?"

"That's none of your busi—"

"Here you go, sonny." The shopkeeper came back just in the nick of time. Breaking his sight from Robin, Zoro turned to the owner and paid him.

"Thanks." The first mate took the white bag from the elder man and bent down to pick half of the bags off the floor where they'd left them. Avoiding any sort of eye contact with his older crewmate, he headed for the door. "Let's go."

Robin inclined her head, heaving up the rest of the supplies and silently followed. A part of her started to regret ever bringing the history of the Wadō Ichimonji up. She hoped that she didn't just ruin her relationship with the swordsman. Was he mad at her for invading his personal life? Or was it that he was remembering a horrible memory in his past that he didn't want to share openly?

_Perhaps I overstepped my boundaries._Robin lowered her head down in shame. She could understand if she went overboard with green-haired man, since she also knew what it felt like to have trouble opening up to others—especially when it comes to things of the past. It was one of the other reasons why she felt the need to get to know the swordsman better. She and Zoro were kindred spirits in so many ways, so it was easy to understand how he must be feeling right about now. Should she apologize to him?

Although she felt a twinge of remorse for what happened, the raven-haired beauty felt like she almost made a real connection with Zoro and she didn't want to stop what she'd began. Something told her that her if she continued down this road with him, her relationship with Zoro would change in a completely new and surreal direction.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

_Well, that was weird,_Zoro thought as he walked side by side with the Devil Fruit user. They haven't said a word since they left the shop, which made things awkward for them. Should he apologize for nearly snapping at her when she quizzed him about Wadō Ichimonji and its history? No, why should he? He did nothing wrong, so why should he have to apologize when she was the one prying into his personal business? What gave that nosy woman the right to bring the subject up in the first place? However...

The swordsman glanced over his shoulder, and saw the expressionless mask that archeologist now wore. In spite of that, he knew that she was feeling bad about what transpired between them at the shop. Robin was like that in the beginning, putting on a façade to hide her true feelings. Little by little, she had begun slowly opening to the Straw Hats after proving to her that they would never cast her aside and betray her. And now, she had built that same wall once again to obscure her real emotions.

Okay, fine! He did feel guilty for overreacting. She was just curious and didn't mean any harm, but the topic of Wadō's history was something that he'd always been sensitive about. It looked like she wanted to say something to him, but couldn't. Did she think that he was mad at her?

"Hey, Robin," he called her out at last.

She lifted her head to look at him. "Hmm?"

"I'm not angry at you or anything. Sorry for what happened back there."

Astonished by his unexpected apology, the raven-haired beauty's lips curved into a grateful smile. "Thank you, Swordsman. I'm glad you told me. But I suppose I should apologize for asking you so abruptly."

Whew. That was easier than Zoro anticipated. "It's no big deal. I was just surprised, that's all."

"I understand." She nodded sympathetically, happy that the uncomfortable silence has evaporated. With that settled, the pair continued to the _Thousand Sunny_. To Zoro's dismay, the first thing he heard was Nami's annoying voice.

"About time you guys got back. What took you?" She stood at deck with the others, and the green-haired man spotted a rolled up scrape of paper in her hands as soon as he stepped onto the ship with Robin. Immediately, Sanji swooped in and offered to take her bags.

Zoro merely rolled his eyes at the chef. _What a lovesick idiot._

"Here." He ignored the greedy devil and shoved the bags of tools and medicine to Usopp and Chopper. Seriously, how can Robin deal living in the same room as Nami? All he wanted to do was train.

"Come back here, Zoro," Nami commanded before he even touch the ropes tied the foremast that acted as a route to the crow's nest. The crow's nest was Zoro's most private haven on the ship, a place where he can go to train, nap, or just escape his obnoxious crewmates.

"What do you want?" he demanded, crossing his arms over his muscular torso.

"I have something to show you guys," the navigator announced, unfurling the scrape of brown paper. "Feast your eyes on this!"

While the rest of the Straw Hats awed at the treasure map (minus Robin), Zoro scrubbed a hand over his face in exhaustion. If Nami found a treasure map, then that means he'll be forced into the expedition group in order to retrieve the riches. _Ugh... Am I ever going to get a break around here?_

"Wow, Nami! Where'd you get this?" Luffy jumped up and down in excitement.

"When Sanji and I were out in town, some pirates talking about a treasure being on this island," she explained, her finger tracing circles over the drawings that represents the forest and mountains. "According to this, there's a treasure hidden in some ruins located one of the mountains."

"Ruins? In a town like this?" Usopp inquired, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Yeah. Apparently, this town used to be ruled by a bandit. Then one day, he was killed when pirates came and took all of his treasure. However, the bandit left behind a large sapphire in some sort of tomb in the ruins that was constructed long ago on the island. No one was able to get the treasure even with a map because the mountain to get there is too steep."

"Hah! No mountain is going to stop us from getting the treasure," Luffy boasted confidently, pounding his fist in his other hand. "I bet we can get it with no problem!"

"That's our Luffy," Nami chirped. "If you guys get the sapphire for me, it can solve our money problem."

"So you'll let us go on an adventure?" the rubbery captain asked with sparkling eyes.

"Yep, but if you don't get it, Luffy, you'll be back on punishment," the cartographer warned. "Understand?"

The captain gave his navigator a serious salute. "Yes, ma'am!"

"Good. Usopp, Franky and Brook can stay behind to guard the ship until we get back."

"Wait a damn minute!" Zoro stomped angrily over to his incredibly bratty shipmate.

"Why the hell do I have to go? If you want to make money, that's fine, but leave me out of it."

"You're coming and that's final, Zoro," she retorted. "Those pirates I stole the map from might come after us. Their crew was huge, so we might need you. If you don't go, I'm going to increase your debt."

Backed to the corner, Zoro caved in. He hated when she threatened to raise his debt every single time she wanted him to do something he didn't want to do. "Fine, whatever."

The witch snickered with victory. "That's what I thought."

The male pirate glared at her, miffed. _That damn woman, I swear._ _What's with women and thinking that the only way to get men to do something is to manipulate them?_

"ALL RIGHT! IT'S DECIDED! LET'S GO, GUYS!" Luffy hollered at the top of his lungs, pumping his fists in the air. "TO OUR NEXT ADVENTURE! LET'S GET THAT TREASURE!"

Zoro couldn't suppress his smirk at his best friend's eagerness as he and his fellow crewmates joyfully exclaimed, "YEAH!"

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

_"__Swordsman, you joining us?"_

_"__Hmm? Yeah, I'll be along soon."_

_"__The captain smells adventure. Huh... I never stopped to think any of this as adventurous. Maybe I should reconsider my stance."_– Episode 154

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

**A/N:**To help raise awareness on the situation and encourage fans to buy the DVDs, I will be posting a _VERY_ important A/N at the end of each chapter, although it will be a summarized version of this one. I would appreciate it if all of you readers/fellow _One Piece_ fans take the time to read this.

**4Kids Entertainment** was the first to license the _One Piece_series for North American release. However, due to the show being too violent for children, it was dropped. On April 12, 2007, the popular company known as **FUNimation Entertainment**announced they had acquired the rights to _One Piece_. Since then, FUNimation has been at hard work dubbing the rest of the series, and even premiered some of the episodes on **Cartoon Network** on **Toonami** until it was canceled due to low ratings. Since it no longer airs on television, a few fans believed that FUNimation had stopped dubbing _One Piece_.

_One Piece_has been doing well and still in the process of being dubbed by FUNimation. On October 28, 2011, FUNimation announced that they had acquired the rights to Season Four, and is currently releasing the **Voyages** to those episodes. On July 28, 2012, FUNimation announced that they had acquired the rights to Season Five of _One Piece_ and the canon movie _One Piece Film: Strong World_ for North America release for this summer, although no release date has been set.

According to one of the staff of FUNimation during an interview, the reason why FUNimation were able to license Season 5 and_One Piece Film: Strong World_ shortly after their announcement of Season 4 was due to the fans that had **_BROUGHT_** the DVDs of _One Piece_. It was because of those who had legally and financially supported FUNimation is why they were able to get this far as they are today.

_One Piece_is rightfully own by the Japanese company known as **Toei Animation**. Before FUNimation could begin working on a series, they must license it. Licensing is very expensive, often hundreds to thousands of dollars for one series and tens of thousands for one movie. Although simulcast Internet streaming rights can be less expensive, the prices still range from around $1,000-$2,000 an episode. The prices vary for each and every anime and movie, so just imagine how much money it takes to license just a _single_ episode of one of the most popular animes in Japan. This may seem unfair, but if you honestly think about it, it's not. After all, _they're_ the ones that created the show, directed it, produced it, distribution it, designed it, edited it, voiced it, and everything else. Additionally, that money helps Toei produce more episodes for the series.

After licensing the show, FUNimation must work out a contract with Toei. One of the key points of contract is this: If FUNimation's work on _One Piece_ does well in North America, Toei they will continue supplying them with rights to the episodes of the series. Due to their contract and the amount of money it takes to license episodes, movies, and songs (when obtaining songs, an additional license must be made), it takes FUNimation a while to get rights to the _One Piece_ episodes or anything relating to the series. It is _NOT_because they are slow at dubbing, lazy or given up the series. It _IS_ because they must get Toei's agreement to deliver _One Piece_ to the U.S and pay for it before they can do anything. Even then, the whole process of dubbing episodes is time-consuming, which is why I find it very disrespectful for anyone to criticizing FUNimation for their speed.

After spending hours of negotiating, FUNimation will have to begin translating the Japanese dialogue to English for the episodes and songs; recording with the English voice actors/actresses (who are have lives and other jobs within that same company) and holding auditions for new voice actors to voice new characters; edit the voices over to the scenes and checking over them to match the movement of their lips; mass producing the DVDs and cases for over a million fans across the country; downloading the episodes on billions of DVDs; and then distributing them to stores. If getting an episode is expensive, consider how much money and time it takes FUNimation to get the equipment they need to get through to the actual release.

There are reasons why I'm informing readers/fans in full details about everything that goes down in FUNimation is to reach the main point I'm trying to get at. And those reasons are:

1.) To clarify that 4Kids _used_ to own and dubbed _One_Piece, and that FUNimation is the one in current possession of it. There are a few fans that didn't know that 4Kids was the previous owner of the series, and still believes that the company is still dubbing it. FUNimation now has the rights to _One Piece_, and they are a different company. I wanted to get to help clear the confusion.

2.) To inform those who have not heard about FUNimation gaining the rights to Season 5 and _One Piece Film:_ _Strong World_ for North American release. I know that some fans that are not as well informed as others because they do not have a lot of access to the Internet, search the web for various reliable sites, or only focus on the original Japanese of _One Piece_ since they don't care for the English. I wanted to help FUNimation and spread the word around.

3.) To inform and defend FUNimation for their "slow" speed of dubbing the episodes for _One Piece_. As I said above, I find it disrespectful for anyone to complain about how "slow" FUNimation is without being aware of what steps they must go through and the time-consuming process it takes them to actual get to the release of the DVDs.

4.) To inform and encourage fans to support _One Piece_ by buying the DVDs in order to get more episodes.

Toei and FUNimation are partners due to their contract for _One Piece_(and possibly with other animes). In order for FUNimation to get more rights to _One Piece_, the DVDs must sell well. Toei gets a fair share of their profit from those DVDs, and once they had determined that _One Piece_ is doing well in the U.S, they will allow FUNimation to acquire more rights to the series. Toei can't allow FUNimation to get more episodes unless they know that the series is doing well with American audience and, as it is mentioned above, licensing is very expensive. **Mike McFarland**, the ADR director for _One Piece_ and the voice of **Buggy**, tweeted on his Twitter account that FUNimation only license one season at a time.

I know what half of you readers/fans are thinking. One, what happened if we don't have money to buy the DVDs? Can I still support it? Two, why would we waste our money on DVDs when we can watch for free online on anime sites? Three, I hate the English and I only watch the Japanese, so I don't want the DVDs.

1.) For the first half, the most common answer is to get a job. For the second half, there are two ways you can support the series.

**FUNimation's official website** and **OnePieceOfficial** streams both dubbed and subbed episodes of _One Piece_ on their website every Saturday and release the new episode in at either eight or nine o'clock (depends on the timezone area and when Daylight Saving Time occurs) after an hour of its premiere in Japan. When you are watching FUNimation's site, a **_LEGAL_** site, FUNimation can see there is a market for it and they can get pay for advertisements revenue. By watching there, you can still be supporting FUNimation in a small and perfectly _legal_way. Please watch on FUNimation's main website or OnePieceOffical since they are the _only_ legal streaming sites on that shows _One Piece_. Anything else is pirated and is therefore illegal, so FUNimation or Toei won't benefit from it.

Another legal way is to watch from **Neon Alley**. On October 2, 2012, **Viz Media **(who dubs _Naruto_, so please support it by buying the DVDs) launched a 24-hour anime channel featuring popular animes that are dubbed and uncut exclusively on the PlayStation®Network and the PlayStation®3 (PS3™) system. The subscription-based service will be available for a low $6.99 per month. Neon Alley is the first platform designed to be studio agnostic, featuring titles from other anime producers and content distributors, including Aniplex, FUNimation, NTV, Taiseng, **Anime News Network **(an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, et cetera), and Empire Distribution. By subscribing to Neon Alley, not only you are supporting just FUNimation and Toei, you're also supporting these companies and their Japanese partners as well for only a low price of $6.99 per month. Please, spread the word and tell your friends/fans.

2.) There are numerous anime sites out there that many people go to watch anime whether they are in English, Japanese, or both. I know there are many reasons why people use them, but those anime sites are the ones that are **_RUINING _**dubbing companies like FUNimation and Viz Media. **Bandai Entertainment** is a clear example that when dubbing companies are not profitable, the companies they partnered with will pull out and canceled the series.

Anime sites are great threats to FUNimation and other companies like them. They are violating the copyright laws and committing infringement by posting episodes that belonged to FUNimation and Toei, thus killing their business because no one is buying their products. When the companies find the anime sites, they will take action against them.

Like I said before, I know there are many reasons why people use anime sites. I have gone to forums, YouTube, and other sites and read many arguments about the matter, hearing and reading from both sides. For example, some people think that piracy doesn't have that much affect on dubbing companies. There are other causes for companies to go out of business, but whether people want to accept it or not, piracy do have a large affect on companies—both in and outside of the United States and Japan.

On October 23, 2007, according to ANN (Anime News Network), the Japanese government issued a formal statement of requests to the government of the United States. One of the requests asked for the United States to help stop the unauthorized reproduction and distribution of Japanese animation online. According to Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the distribution of copyrighted materials in the United States has increasingly damaged the creative industries of Japan. On August 18, 2008, FUNimation issued a statement following a lawsuit against illegal uploaders for several animes that were fansubbed online: "Though these series have not been licensed to a local distributor in North America, it is important to note that the rights owned by Japanese producers are still applicable, and enforceable, worldwide.

Industry watchers and anime fans have long known our stance on the unauthorized distribution of anime, especially prior to localization. The practices of illegal downloads and 'fansubbing' are very harmful to our Japanese partners and as part of the longstanding relationship between FUNimation and d-rights and Enoki Films, we have been asked to monitor and take action against unauthorized distribution of these titles. Because we believe that this will benefit the industry, we have agreed to do so."

On October 1, 2012, ANN posted an article stating that the Japanese government passed a law that penalizes people who illegally download copyrighted material. Those charged with illegal downloading will face up to two years of prison or fines of up to two million yen (about $25,000 in the U.S).

Please, buy the DVDs for _One Piece_ (preferably the Voyages since they are the ones that makes the most profits for the companies) or support it in any way you can. Like the dedicated fans out there, I have all of the **Collections**, and I'm going to keep getting them to show my support. I hope everyone else can encourage others to do the same. Every contribution matters, so please don't think because other people across the world are helping to make sure the series is successful that the company doesn't need support from you.

3.) I know there are lot of arguments about which is better, English or Japanese. I don't care about this ridiculous debate between rude fans that like one and hate the other. I like both the English and Japanese, but happen to love the English more. Just because there are people that don't agree with your point of view, it doesn't mean you should bash them for it. There are lots of fans that just like English, Japanese, or _both_. There's nothing wrong about liking one of them or both. Everyone is going to have different opinions, but please show respect to those who might not share your point view. It doesn't matter to me and I don't think it should matter to anyone else, either. In the end, we're all _One Piece_ fans and want it to be successful.

FUNimation is a United States company and one of their main focus is to dub the _One Piece_series, however, that does _NOT_ mean that only thing they have on the DVDs is the English episodes. Both the Voyages and Collections contain _BOTH_ English and Japanese audio (along with the subtitles). Even if someone does like one and not the other, you can still buy the DVDs and change the settings to suit your preference, thus supporting the series.

Interesting fact: According to an interview on **The Unofficial One Piece Podcast** (good source for information and has direct contact with FUNimation occasionally) with **Sonny Strait**, the voice actor for **Usopp**, when he and the other voice actors/actresses went to audition for their roles, it was **Eiichiro Oda**, the famous and beloved creator of _One Piece_, that chose the English voices/actresses for the series, _not_ the English directors. He wanted to cast voice actors/actresses that sounded close to the original Japanese voices. If Oda-sensei handpicked these voice actors/actresses himself and loved them, then I know that everyone will grow to love (or at least like) them, too. If you don't believe me, search it on the web and see for yourselves.

If anyone has questions or seeking information (like the difference between the Voyages and the Collections and their release dates), you can ask me or go to the **One Piece Wiki**. However, here's a warning: Do **_NOT _**trust everything you read on the OP Wiki so easily. A wiki can be edit by anyone, even trolls or ignorant people, and since I also used to edit there, I know the inner workings well. The reason why I quit was mostly because it is more like a fan site rather than an actual wiki, and the articles there are sloppy and bias. There were a lot of users that bullied me (and the wiki hardly did a thing about it), so I stuck to minor edits and then eventually quit. The most I ever did was the **Appearances** sections for the Straw Hats (although I gave up halfway on Nami's) and among other things. I'm not saying that they're unreliable and they are pretty decent, but don't trust the OP Wiki so easily and that goes for other wikis, too. If you have any doubts, check the anime/manga, the primary source, and remember to only trust a wiki when you are sure it is 100% reliable.

Thank you for those that read my long A/N. Please do not send reviews with counterarguments about anything I have said in my A/N, especially about the issues of piracy. As piracy is one of the most heated debates between fans across the Internet, I know it's a touchy subject, but it would be incredibly inappropriate to debate about such things on a site meant for stories. Speaking of which, I'm going to be posting one chapter a month. To conclude this A/N, I have one more thing to say: Today is November 11, Zoro's birthday! Happy birthday, Zoro! :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Luffy's Clothes: **Normal red vest with yellow buttons and blue shorts with white fur hemmed at the bottom.

**Zoro's Clothes: **Pale green shirt with jagged brown stripes from _One Piece _Opening 9—_Jungle P_.

**Nami's Clothes: **Navy blue tank top with "GOLD" written in yellow in the center, white pants with a brown belt, and high-heeled light brown gladiator sandals from the Long Ring Long Island Arc.

**Usopp's Clothes: **Normal brown overalls with a white sash with no shirt underneath.

**Sanji's Clothes** Normal black, double-breasted suit with a black tie and pants and a long-sleeved, buttoned light blue shirt underneath.

**Chopper's Clothes: **Normal maroon shorts.

**Robin's Clothes: **A sleeveless yellow shirt with ivy patterns, purple pants reaching to her calves with a simple belt, purple low-heeled Mary Jane shoes, and a gold armband with white strings attached and the letter N on it from the Skypiea Arc.

**Franky's Clothes: **Yellow shirt with violet bull-like markings on each side of the front and on the back from the Thriller Bark Arc.

**Brook's Clothes: **Normal black suit with a dark blue cravat tie and black top hat.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"_All you do is charge around like a clumsy bull, with no regard for the weight of the history that you've destroyed!" _– Episode 174

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"Lunch is ready!" Sanji announced as he poked his head out the kitchen doorway and saw the eager, hungry smiles blooming on his crew's faces. Despite the earlier declaration that their captain made about getting the island's treasure, he quickly decided that they would go search for it _after_ everyone has eaten, claiming, "You can't go on an adventure on an empty stomach!"

"FOOD!" Luffy drooled with excitement as he dashed into the galley. "FOOD! FOOD! FOOD!"

"Watch it, Luffy!" The cook stumbled back when he was nearly run over by his friend. "And don't you dare think about snatching anything from girls' plates, you hear me?!"

"Hmmm-mmm!" The gluttonous pirate nodded absent-mindedly, his mouth already stuffed with food. Sanji sighed and shook his head in exasperation. He knew Luffy didn't hear a single thing he said. Returning to his spot at the stove, the blond-haired man watched as the rest of his comrades entered the room that he considered his personal haven, and noticed that the stupid swordsman, the gorgeous Robin, and the beautiful Nami had changed their outfits from earlier.

Switching the purple top and shorts from earlier in the day, the cartographer was now wearing the same stylish outfit when they participated in that ridiculous Davy Back Fight, and the archeologist was sporting the clothes that she donned when they were in Skypiea. As for the ex-bounty hunter, he threw on an opened pale green shirt with brown jagged stripes.

"This smells great," Nami complimented as soon as she sat down at the table and eyed her delicious meal—almond-crusted fish with steamed, heart-shaped vegetables which he specially prepared for his two lovely angels, a bowl of spicy soup, and two crusty rolls.

Feeling as if his heart was about to burst from his chest, the martial artist skidded over to the orange-haired woman's side. "Thank you so much, Nami, my sweet! I do aim to please you, after all!"

"Sanji! Sanji! Can I have some more?" Luffy inquired, holding out his clear plate that he finished within minutes, which wasn't a big surprise to any of the Straw Hats. That guy's stomach was like a bottomless pit.

Sanji shook his head in refusal. "Forget it. Until we get more cash, we have to make sure to divide our rations evenly for the next two weeks."

"Aww! But I'm hungry!"

"When are you _not_ hung—Hey, I thought I told you not to steal from Robin's plate!" He fumed when he saw the Gum-Gum Devil Fruit user stretched his arm, grabbed one of the rolls on Robin's plate and shoved it into his mouth.

"It's all right," the raven-haired beauty assured him with a glorious smile that could melt the heart of any man in the world.

"You're so kind, Robin, my love," Sanji swooned lovingly. Twirling behind the counter, he took out a silver cocktail shaker and several other bottles from one of the cabinets.

"What're you doing, Sanji?" Chopper asked curiously, watching the chef put three ounces of vodka, one ounce of Crème de cassis, a little blackberry liqueur, and ice into the shaker.

"A cocktail drink I learned from the old geezer when I was still at the Baratie," he answered, clapping the metal cap on the bottom and proceeded to shake the ingredients vigorously. "It's called Black Dahlia. It's an alcohol beverage, so you're too young to have it, Chopper."

When he was done, he twisted the cap off and placed two cocktail glasses on the counter. Pouring the cold, blood-colored liquid into the two glasses, the cook placed them on a tray next to plate with a special dessert—chocolate-covered tangerine slices. Sliding smoothly to the ladies, he bowed deeply and presented the tray to them. "Here you are, Mademoiselles, please enjoy."

"Thanks." Nami beamed as she plopped one chocolate tangerine slice into her mouth. Sanji could've died in happiness when he saw how the navigator's almond hues glittered at the taste. "Wow, this is the best!"

"Mmm, this drink is also very delicious." Robin added, sipping the cocktail daintily.

The blond-haired man's lips broke into a lovesick grin. "I am not worthy of such praise! My heart is beating so fast from your generous words!"

But, of course, his fantasy was interrupted by a gruffly snort of irritation from the moss-head swordsman. "Good, then maybe it would explode."

A vein popped on the Sanji's forehead at the insult. "What was that?"

Zoro snorted, irritated. "I told you to shut up. No one wants to hear you squealing like a girl."

"I DARE YOU TO SAY THAT AGAIN, MOSS-HEAD!"

"WHAT'D YOU CALLED ME?! I'M GOING TO SLICE YOU INTO MINCEMEAT, DARTBOARD!"

"BRING IT ON! I'M GOING TO FLAMBÉ YOU!"

Before they could exchange blows, Nami reached over the table and crashed their heads against each other. They collapsed on the floor in pain as she glowered at them. "Put a cork in it, you two! Finish eating so we can hurry up and get that treasure."

"Anything you say, Nami-swan!" Sanji complied like an obedient puppy.

"Tch, I'm done. I'll be waiting on the deck." The first mate stood up the wooden floor, rubbing the sore bump on as his head as he exited the kitchen. As the remaining Straw Hat crew finished up their meal, everyone failed to notice the pair of cerulean irises locked on Zoro as he took off.

_You never cease to amuse to me, do you, Swordsman?_

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"OKAY, MEN! LET'S HEAD OUT!" Luffy hollered, pumping his fists energetically in the air. Gathered on the deck, Zoro merely shook his head at his best friend's never-ending cheerfulness for adventures as he saw Nami gripped the back of Luffy's vest to stop him from leaving the _Thousand Sunny_.

"Cool your heels for a second, Luffy." The thief swiveled to the blue-haired shipwright. "All right, Franky. We're heading off now, so make sure you keep an eye out for trouble with Usopp and Brook."

"You can super leave it to me, Nami-sis," Franky said, striking his usual flamboyant pose.

"We know the drill already, Nami. Let's just go," Luffy complained impatiently.

"Okay, okay, fine. C'mon, we're off." She pushed the ecstatic boy off the ship as the others followed them into town. "What path do we take, Robin?"

Unfolding the map in her palms, the other female pirate swept her eyes over the map. "Well, first we have to go the outskirts of the town and there should be a straight dirt road leading us into the mountain."

"Sounds simple enough."

"Keep in mind that the dangerous part of this adventure is that the mountain is very steep."

"Hah! Don't worry about it, Robin. I can get us there!" Luffy boasted, a board grin spreading across his face. "It'll be a piece of cake."

The raven-haired beauty chuckled at his confidence. "Of course, Captain."

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"We're here!" Luffy cheered as the crew stopped in front of a huge wall of rock.

"So, how're we going to climb up?" inquired Zoro, his arms crossed over his torso.

"Those pirates weren't kidding when they said the mountain was steep," Nami commented, hovering a hand above her eyes to block the sun so she can see where the top was. "That's at least thirty-five feet high. We can't climb up there; I don't see rocks we can use as footholds. They look too weak to support us."

"No sweat, Nami, leave it to me! One, two..." Luffy started, stretching his arms behind his shipmates as the other one expanded to the edge of the mountaintop.

"Wait, Luffy, don't—"

"THREE!" His arm closed around his companions like a serpent strangling its prey with its tail, smashing them together into a tight ball before he allowed himself to be pull up into the air by his other arm.

Everyone but Robin screamed as they begin fly upwards while their captain kept laughing until they reached top. The Devil Fruit user's arm unwounded from his friends as they all pummeled facedown onto the rocky surface as he landed perfectly on his sandals-clad feet.

"Shishishi, that was fun! Let's do it again," Luffy laughed from the thrill.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Nami, Sanji and Chopper roared at him angrily, all three of them delivering a good punch on the raven-haired boy's head. "YOU COULD'VE KILLED US!"

"OW!" he yelped in pain, placing his straw hat to cover bumps that emerged on his crown. "But I didn't, did I? Besides, I got us to the top."

"You moron! Robin could've used her powers to get up here gently!" Nami yelled, yanking firmly on his cheek and pinching it so hard that his skin was turning pink.

"Oh, well, why didn't you say so?" Luffy quizzed dumbly, unfazed by the painful stretching.

"You didn't give us a chance to!"

While Nami and the others were chewing out their captain, Zoro dusted himself off as Robin observed the narrow area. There was little space to walk on the ledge there were only, looking only capable of allowing a few individuals be here. Her cobalt orbs skittered to see a zigzag path that could lead them higher up to the ruins.

"According to the map, if follow this road, it should take us to more mountaintops until we reach the ruins," Robin chimed, scanning over the map.

The cartographer simpered in anticipation at the thought of getting her hands on that beautiful, expensive jewel. "C'mon, guys! Let's get that treasure!"

"Not so fast, you sneaky wench!" a voice shouted out.

The orange-haired woman instantly muttered a curse under her breath, recognizing the source of that sound. Taking a defensive position, the crew pivoted around to see the pirate group that Nami stole from coming up from the edge of the mountaintop. Judging by the way the rival pirate crew's members kept falling off the edge, the Straw Hats guessed that their enemies were stupidly trying to climb up the mountain with their bare hands.

The enemies' leader—the fat and bald-headed man—brandished at flintlock from his trousers, aiming it directly at the Cat Burglar. "Give us our map back, bitch!"

"Hey, asshole! Watch your mouth! That's no way to talk to a lady!" Sanji glared furiously, enraged that someone insulted his dear Nami. "I won't forgive any who points a gun at a woman!"

"Sanji, wait!" Nami grasped his arm before he could move. "Fighting these guys will be a waste of time. Let's just run for it. Besides, this place is too cramped."

"Nami's right. If we were to fight here, all of us might fall off," Zoro agreed, his dark optics peering over the adversary's shoulder to see more of his crew attempting to get to the top. "It's not helping the fact that more of Fatso's buddies are trying to get here. This ledge to is too small to hold so many people. We'll be hitting each other in the face if we fight."

Luffy cracked his knuckles. "Just give me one minute, I can take care of these guys."

"We're leaving, _Captain_, come on!" Grabbing the back of Luffy's vest, the chef sprinted quickly as he and the others made a run for the rocky path.

"AFTER THEM!" the enemy commanded to his troops, dashing after the Straw Hats.

Over the ruckus of being chased by another pirate crew that was hell-bent on killing them, Robin could hear the familiar sound of waves lapping over the shores.

"Another wall," Chopper noted as they arrived on a slightly wider area with another barrier of rock blocking their view. From up here, they could see glistening blue sea. The young doctor squinted his eyes to see if there was a way to get to the higher ledge. "It looks like we might take a while to get there."

"Hold on right there, you bastards!" Terrific. Another problem they didn't need right now. This treasure hunt becoming more difficult than it really needs to be. Still, the raven-haired beauty had to hand it to their enemies. "Give us our map back and drop dead!"

"Not gonna happen!" Luffy turned to Nami, seeking approval. "Nami, can we fight now?"

"Sure, have at it," she allowed. "Just make it quick, okay?"

"Okay! This'll take five minutes!"

"Me, Robin, and Chopper will get the sapphire while you hold them off." The navigator scooped the little reindeer in her arms and rushed to where Robin was. The historian was already jumping up on her Flower-Flower legs she sprouted on the rocky barrier and was close on getting to the top. She just needed to hop on two more and then she—

_Bang!_

"Robin, watch out!" Chopper cried as soon as the gunshot was heard. The enemies' leader fired his gun at Robin to prevent her from proceeding up the mountain. The bullet buzzed through the air at lightning speed, and the archeologist was lucky she able to dodge it in time. However, her concentration was broken and her phantoms legs dispersed into flower petals as she fell backwards into the ocean. "Robin!"

"Zoro, get Robin!" the Straw Hats' captain ordered, knowing that Zoro was the one standing closest to the edge of the cliff. Luffy sent a good punch at the one who harmed his friend, fury causing his face to resemble that of a madman's. No one—_absolutely no one_—gets away from hurting one of his crewmates like that. "Me and Sanji will take these guys! Hurry, get to Robin!"

The first mate didn't need a command to act. He was overwhelmed with rage and shock like the rest of his crewmembers at what he'd witnessed. An intense, achingly familiar sensation welled inside the swordsman when he saw that the bullet aimed towards the beautiful archeologist. The bullet missed, but it was now causing her to fall to her death. His handsome face was distorted in anguish as the memories of _that_ time came to mind. How can anyone do it? Attack a woman who couldn't even defend herself from her aggressor?

That arrogant, self-proclaimed prick Eneru from Skypiea did the same thing to Robin. It was memory Zoro would rather forget than recalled. He remembered cradling her electrocuted body in his arm that he used to catch her from hitting the hard ground after the false God had shocked her with his lightning powers, the powerful fury that flooded in him at the sight of the fallen, defenseless woman.

He didn't know what happened back then. Back then, he never fully acknowledged her as a comrade. So, why? Why did he caught and fought for her so vigorously after Eneru nearly killed her? When it happened, his body moved on its own, and the only thing that he felt back then was pure, animalistic rage. He wanted to kill the fake God for injuring a woman—for hurting _Robin_.

Which brings him back to where he was now. His body acted on its own without his or his captain's command. He was running to the edge of the cliff before Luffy could even open his mouth.

By the time he made it to the edge, Robin had fallen past him. His fingers only grazed her outstretched hand before she descended to the sea. There was only one thing left that Zoro could do that can possibly save his crewmate's life.

Without a second of hesitation, the green-haired man plunged into the ocean after her.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Paralyzed with utter shock, Chopper remained frozen in Nami's arms. Looking up, he saw that the orange-haired woman's mouth was gaped at disbelief at the reckless stunt Zoro just committed.

"Zoro!" Nami called, snapping out of her trance. Hurrying over to the edge of the cliff, Chopper peered over the ledge along with the orange-haired woman, searching frantically for two friends in the sea. "Zoro, where are you? Robin, Zoro!"

Minutes passed, and when there wasn't a response, the Zoan Devil Fruit user burst into tears. He didn't want to believe that two of his comrades were dead; he knew that he should have more faith in both in them. Zoro and Robin were both strong people—demons, some would dub them—but his emotions overwhelmed him and he couldn't stop tears from flowing down his furry cheeks in rivulets. "Zoro! Robin! Please don't be dead! You can't be! Please say something!"

"Hey! Quit with the waterworks and save it for when we're _actually_ dead!" rebuked a deep and annoyed voice.

"Look, Chopper! They're alive," Nami breathed, pointing a finger downwards to where the swordsman was dangling on a rock while holding onto Robin's hand with the other. "Zoro, how's Robin? Is she okay?"

"Yeah, we're fi—Argh!"

"ZORO!" Chopper cried when he saw this idol's fingers loosened on the rock that was preventing him from pummeling into the ocean. Pivoting his head to the right, the reindeer saw of the enemy's crewmates holding a flintlock fired the bullet at Zoro. It only grazed the swordsman's bicep, just above from where his bandanna was tied to, but he was at his limit.

"Damn it! Can't...hold on!" Zoro gritted his teeth together. His onyx optics rooted down at the archeologist's blue ones before he felt his fingers slipped off the rock and they dropped down into the sea.

"ZORO! ROBIN!"

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Coldness. Desperation. Anger.

Those were the only things that were burning inside Zoro when splashed into the icy depths of the ocean. The murky water was making difficult for him to see as he spun in several directions to see where the raven-haired beauty was. Their hands came apart when they fell, which meant he he'd better find her soon. _This isn't good; Robin has Devil Fruit powers. She can't swim. Where is she?_

To his great luck, he found her helpless body several feet away from his location. With no time to waste, Zoro went over to her, gathered her unconscious form in his arms, and swam to the surface.

Clutching the female tightly to his chest, the swordsman surveyed his surroundings. He could see the mountains that belonged to the island, but he knew that wasn't the same cliff that he and Robin dropped from. If it was, then Luffy and the others could be seen at the top. Damn, they must've have been carried far by the rough waves. Zoro didn't have a clue where the heck they were now. However, he's been lost before, and he always managed find his way to his chosen destination.

Eventually.

The only thing he did know was that he have to get to shore before ocean wash them further out to sea. He glanced at the woman in his arms, his dark hues softening at the sight of her vulnerable state. He had to make sure they get to shore as soon as possible. With that thought in mind, he made his way to the beach

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Usopp knew there was something wrong when Luffy, Sanji, Nami, and a teary Chopper came back to the _Thousand Sunny_ without Zoro or Robin in tow by sundown. As soon as they got on board, the weeping reindeer jumped out of the thief's arms and into his.

"What's wrong, Chopper?" he asked worriedly, stroking the top of the Zoan Devil Fruit's hat repeatedly to soothe his nerves. The sniper glanced up at Nami for an answer. Her eyes were puffed and bright red from crying; her pretty face was ruined by the streaks of dried tears. Luffy and Sanji's countenances were solemn, and dirt coated their clothes that told him the story that there was a fight.

Franky stood behind him, his large arms crossed over his muscular torso. Usopp couldn't see what emotion he gave away since the cyborg's sunglasses were drawn over his eyes. "Tell us what happened, Straw Hat."

The captain and the cook related the events that took place during the expedition in the kitchen while Nami sat down on the couch silently with a tired Chopper, who had cried himself to sleep. The he, the mechanic, and Brook all listened to the recounts of the day with careful ears, absorbing the information until the last word was said.

"We have to go after them," Franky declared fervently.

"Yeah," Luffy concurred with the same determination blazing his dark hues.

"Hold on it, you two," Sanji interjected, lighting up a cigarette in his mouth. "I'm worried as much as the next person, but let's get real for a minute here. It's already nightfall, so we don't stand a chance of finding them in the dark. And besides, you seriously think a dive off a mountain is going to kill them? If I know that stupid swordsman, he's alive and he's got Robin with him. They'll come back here as soon as they can, and it's not like those good-for-nothing pirate punks are going to find them after we beat their asses. I bet those bastards are off the island by now."

"No way! I'm going to look for Zoro and Robin right now," argued the captain.

"Wait, Luffy," Usopp spoke up. "Sanji's right. Zoro wouldn't die by falling into the sea. He's been through worst stuff than that. This is _Zoro_ we're talking about. He and Robin are probably safe and sound right now."

"I don't care, I'm going after them!" Luffy asserted sternly, dashing for the door. He never got to go through it, though, because Franky and Sanji assaulted him from behind and tackled him to the floor.

"You idiot! Listen to reason!" the cook chided over the Devil Fruit user's protests to let them go. "What're you gonna do? Search the entire island by yourself? You don't even have the map since it fell into the ocean with Robin! It's too dark to go looking for her."

Usopp sweat-dropped at the martial artist's lack of concern for their second missing shipmate. "Hey, hey, shouldn't you be worrying about Zoro, too?"

While he and Brook helped Sanji and Franky keep Luffy on the _Sunny_, Nami looked at the stupid scene with a blank expression and sighed. She was exhausted from today, and there was no point in getting involved with this disagreement. In an hour or two, Luffy will quit being stubborn and wait until dawn to search for their comrades. She could only hope that they were all right.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

It was nightfall that Zoro was able to get to the isolated shore with Robin. Naturally, she was still unconscious and weak from being exposed to the sea. His knees lumped onto the sand, and he gently lowered Robin's delicate frame in front of him.

Ignoring the stinging sensation of his wound, Zoro pressed his ear against her chest to make sure she was still breathing. He nearly died from panic when he realized that she wasn't breathing properly. He quickly administered CPR his companion, his mouth meeting hers as he breathed his oxygen into her lungs. Pulling away, he was awash in relief when he saw Robin coughed up the seawater that was caught in her throat, but she soundly fell back asleep.

"Robin. Hey, wake up." He patted her cheek softly, but she didn't stir. Being out in the ocean took a real toll on her, so Zoro guessed that she wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. Great. What the hell was he supposed to do now? Lug her all the way back to the _Sunny_ when he didn't even know where he was? Not to mention that he was losing more blood as the time goes by.

Stripping off his shirt, the swordsman threw it on the beach and undid the tie on his bandanna and retied over his laceration. It wasn't a real bandage, but it'll have to do. Wringing the water out from his shirt next, he spotted an old but durable hut built around a giant tree. It'd be best if he and Robin were to take shelter for the night, and then set out in the morning. Donning his shirt once again, he heaved Robin his arms and he treaded for it.

Kicking the door to the hut open, he entered and shut it. The inside was small and slightly rusty, but it was better than staying out in the cold night air. Returning back to his crewmate, he noticed how violently she was shivering against him, her cheeks flushed bright pink.

"Damn it." Zoro laid her down on the wooden floor, his palm slipping under bangs to touch her forehead. "She feels too cold, and there's nothing in this place to make a fire with."

There was no way he could allow her to freeze to death from hypothermia. Murmuring out a curse for what he's about to do, Zoro removed Robin's wet clothes one by one while trying his best to not look at her curvaceous hips, voluptuous breasts or anything for that matter. Embarrassing as this was, he knew he had to use his own body to heat up hers and she had to be nude for it to happen. Her garbs on to the side, he put his shirt securely over Robin's shoulders, pressed her against him in a warm embrace, and slowly positioned her in a kneeling position as he leaned against the wall of the hut.

Zoro kept his eyes upwards, not wanting to become like that perverted cook by getting arouse by the sight of a beautiful woman's naked body—although the red splotches on his cheeks remained. It wasn't until Robin involuntarily rubbed her soft form on his muscular one that he decided to look at her flushed visage. Bathed in the moon's silver glow that seeped in through the cracks on the roof, he realized how truly beautiful Robin was for the first time since they met.

"What the _hell_ am I thinking?" He caught himself before he let his mind wander any further. "This is Robin I'm thinking about here—a woman who's nine years older than I am, and my friend. She isn't supposed to be anything more than that. So why...?"

He felt another movement from the slumbering raven-haired beauty, who was now shifting her fragile frame to move closer to his strong warmth. As she stirred, she began to mutter in her sleep, a pleased smile blossoming on her rosebuds-like lips. "Mmm, Zoro..."

The green-haired man almost gasped, absolutely stunned. Was she dreaming of him? And since did she start using his given name and not 'Swordsman'? After Enies Lobby, the archeologist found a sense of belonging among the Straw Hats and started addressing most the their crew with their given names rather than nicknames. It was Robin's sign, an example of how much she felt at home with them. The only one she hasn't called by their name was Zoro.

So, why was she...?

_Okaaay... This is getting too weird now, but... _As the ex-bounty hunter stared bleary at woman cuddled in his arms contentedly, he couldn't deny the fact that having her against him was strangely _nice_. It felt..._right_. Before sleep enveloped him, his tightened his hold over Robin as if he couldn't bear to let her go.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Comfortable. Safe. Warm.

Facing hardships for twenty years, wanted by the World Government and striving for survival, Robin never thought she would ever feel as protected and happy as she did right now. The cocoon of heat that was wrapped around her felt like a sweet and tender embrace from a lover. At first, the historian thought was dreaming of this blissful sensation, but then reality began sinking itself into her mind.

Drowsily, she blinked multiple times until her line of vision cleared. And much to her astonishment, the first thing she saw was the peaceful face of a certain bare-chested swordsman, who was snoring lightly against a wall made out of...wood? Where was she?

Memories of yesterday flashed in her mind, recalling every event that took place the day before. The last she remembered as falling into the ocean with Zoro's hand entwined with hers and then..._nothing_.

"Holy crap!" the green-haired man's sudden outburst brought her to snap out of inkling. When her azure orbs landed on his crimson countenance and noted that his eyes were avoiding her, Robin finally realized that she was without her clothes and draped in merely Zoro's shirt. She was completely exposed to the man in front of her, her voluminous breasts pushing against his scarred, well-defined torso and her fingers splayed across his hard muscles.

Robin's smooth cheeks heated as she inched away from the ex-bounty hunter, closing the front of his shirt to hide her chest. "Swordsman, wh—Are you all right?"

Putting his own embarrassment on a pause for a moment, he directed his gaze to where the beautiful raven-haired woman was staring at worriedly. She was looking at the spot where he tied his bandanna over his wound. The bleeding stopped, but the bandanna now has bloodstains.

"Just put your clothes back on and I'll explain everything properly," he responded speedily, rising up from the floor and to the door. Robin let out a small squeak and squirmed uncomfortably; her concern for him made her forget she was completely exposed. Peeking over his shoulder, an amused smile slid across his face at the sight of her flushed cheeks. She looked...cute. "And quit worrying, I didn't do anything to you, if that's what you're thinking."

And with those words said, he exited the hut to give her some privacy.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"I see," Robin nodded in understanding as Zoro finished his explanation. After she changed back into her clothes, they headed for the ruins on top of the mountain. The treasure map was lost at sea when she fell off the cliff, but thanks to her brilliant mind, Robin memorized the layouts of the island. "You think the others are okay?"

Zoro shrugged. "Probably, yeah. Although, I bet Luffy is going crazy trying to look for us. They're probably at the _Sunny_ since they can't get the treasure without the map."

"True." She chuckled at the thought of the rubbery boy throwing a tantrum and driving Nami insane while looking for her and the first mate. Speaking of which... The archeologist glanced to her partner, the image of waking in his strong but tender arms and surrounded by his comforting warmth came rushing back to her. As they continue their gait up the mountain, their hands brushed ever so slightly against one another that sent a tingle of what felt like electricity through her body...and she liked it. A lot.

Averting her eyes shyly, Robin cleared her throat. "Swordsman, I never got the chance to thank you for what you did—saving me and all."

She saw Zoro froze at the last part for split second before he regained his composure, and Robin had to wonder if he was feeling the same fidgety emotion that she was. He knew she was referring to him keeping her warm last night with his god-like body. "Uh, no problem. We're crewmates, after all. Don't mention it."

_Just crewmates?_ Robin didn't know why, but it suddenly felt that all the air inside of her was punched right out when he said that. Still, she smiled gratefully at the swordsman. "Well, thank you."

"You're welcome."

His modesty was adorable, Robin thought, as she saw him turning his head in another direction to avoid her seeing the blush on his face. A wave of admiration—much like the sensation she felt she heard of his noble self-sacrifice at Thriller Bark by eavesdropping on Sanji and those two men from Rolling Pirates—flooded her entire being from within. She greatly respected Zoro for his honor and kindness, traits that were very hard to find these days in men—especially in pirates. Most men she came across by, like the Straw Hats' chef, would not shy away from drooling all over the tiniest bit of visible skin from her slim and sexy figure. However, Zoro didn't and she couldn't help but admire him for it. For someone who was known as the 'Demon of the East Blue', the he was actually quite shy and innocent.

The raven-haired beauty giggled lightly with that in mind, which made her companion look at her in bewilderment. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, it's nothing."

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"We're here." Robin's azure irises gleamed happily as they stepped foot onto the grounds of their destination. She loved coming to places like this, how they came alive and the overwhelming vibes that crawled up her spine at the sense of history.

"Great," Zoro drawled, unimpressed by the treasure site.

"Hmm..." The raven-haired beauty scanned the area with keen eyes until they spotted an ancient temple that was broken from the outside, the remains scattering around it. By the entrance, there was a Buddha-like statue on each side. "This temple must be where the sapphire is hidden."

"Yeah, so let's hurry up and get it."

"Wait, let me study these relics for a moment," Robin replied as she knelt down to the side one of the broken rocks engraved with writing, her delicate fingertips tracing over it with care.

"What for? Can't we just hurry up and get the damn gemstone?" Zoro huffed in annoyance. "All I see here are shabby, worthless rocks."

He immediately regretted what he said when Robin pivoted her head to glared at him angrily. It saddened and irked the archeologist when someone did not appreciate history like she did. Why must people disrespect what their ancestors had held so sacred? She could never comprehend for why others would do such a thing. To her, history was the most irreplaceable and valuable treasure in the world, and anyone thinking otherwise was doomed to suffer her wrath.

Zoro gulped when he saw the evil glint in her eye. _I'm so screwed._

Clambering from her couching position, Robin stared at him with a contemplating expression. How can she make him understand the worth of history like she does? She couldn't tolerate people with any regard for history, but a part of her knew that he must have a sense of the same feeling buried deep within him. All she needed was to root it out of him.

Her solution clicked in her brain as she zeroed on the Wadō Ichimonji that Zoro's hand was resting on. Folding her arms under her breasts, Robin retorted, "Swordsman, even the smallest piece of something, no matter how broken or old, tells an unspoken tale of unimaginable importance. Therefore, I ask that you do not refer to these magnificent ruins as 'worthless'. How would you react if someone tells you that your swords were nothing more than pieces of steel?"

That did the trick, and the she smirked at the offended scowl that crossed his visage. "Hey, do _not _call my swords worthless! All of them have great importance, especially the Wadō Ichimonji."

"Only if you realize what I'm trying to say." Robin smiled, pleased by his reaction and newfound realization of the value of history. He knew he would relate to her point of view after he being pushed in the right direction. Perhaps his directional skills weren't the only thing that could use a good fixing.

"Okay, I get it. Geez, you didn't have to go that far..." he mumbled gruffly.

The raven-haired beauty laughed, her hand covering her mouth in a poor attempt to keep them from pouring forth. "I'm sorry, Swordsman, but it seemed like the only logical way to get you to understand what I'm saying."

"It's all right. I guess I deserved it, so sorry," he apologized with a mild sigh.

"Apology accepted." She beamed at him, her eyes diverting back to the pure white hilt of his most prized sword. Would it be wrong of her to bring the subject up again? Her curiosity was still thriving to learn more about him through the Wadō Ichimonji. She made him upset at her abrupt questions of the sword last time, and she did not want to experience guilt again. However, her inquisitiveness could not be quenched until she obtained the knowledge she sought. "Swordsman, what makes your swords important? What history do they hold?"

Zoro raised a quizzical eyebrow at her. "Why are you so interested in my swords?"

"I'm interested in you and your history. You don't have to answer me if you don't want to," she answered politely.

"No, I'll tell you." He brandished Wadō from its scabbard and held in front of him with a proud smirk tugging on the corners of his mouth. "The Wadō Ichimonji is a legendary sword, one of the twenty-one O Wazamono—the Great Grade Swords. Shūsui, the sword I got from Thriller Bark, is also one of them. As for the Kitetsu—known as Kitetsu The Third—is a cursed sword I got back in Loguetown for free. It's said that whoever wields the blade will send their owners to a horrible death. But its so-called 'curse' couldn't beat out my good luck."

"Amazing." Robin awed at the Wadō's beautiful craftsmanship. "But what's it to you, Swordsman? It occurred to me that your Wadō Ichimonji means more to you that its status."

Then it happened again. The flash of sadness shimmering in Zoro's dark orbs, and Robin felt remorse tightening her chest. Why does asking about that sword upset him so much? Surprisingly, instead of getting mad, a bittersweet smirk appeared on his countenance as he sheathed his sword back in its scabbard and his left hand gripping the pure white hilt. "This sword...carries my dream."

After that, he strolled right past Robin and towards the temple, failing to see the puzzled expression she now wore. Although subtle as that information was, she knew that small answer meant the world to the green-haired man.

"Swordsman, wait for me." She swiftly followed her companion, who paused in front of the entrance to the temple and glared with an annoyed expression at the use of the nickname.

"Quit calling me that. Call me by my name. You're my friend, after all, and I'm yours," he frowned. Relief flooded the historian when she saw his usual scowl upon his handsome face, the swordsman gotten over what just transpired between them only seconds ago.

"All right, then, _Zoro_," she replied coyly, letting his name roll off her tongue in a seductive purr that would have send a man to his knees. "Shall we get that treasure?"

"Yeah."

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"So, which way?" Zoro questioned when they came upon a fork in the road. The temple's interior was just like any other kind of temple he'd seen before: Old and dusty with cobwebs and other insects skittering about the damaged hallways. The place was disgusting, and gave him the creeps.

"Don't know. Flip a coin, perhaps?" Robin suggested with light humor.

"Aren't you supposed to be all-knowing?"

"I'm an archeologist, Zoro, not God."

The younger man grunted at the mention of the divine being. Being an atheist, he held onto his own beliefs that no such being exist. "What God?"

"In any case, we have to choose a path to go on." A hand cupped her cheek as she titled her head to the side in cogitation. "According to what I found on the ruins outside, this temple was built as long time ago by the earlier habitants of the island to pray to their god, which explains why there were statues by the entrance. I'm guessing that bandit that left the sapphire here must have used this temple as storage to hide his treasure before the pirates came. Before he died, he must have loved that jewel among all his other treasure to keep up here to keep the pirates that killed him from getting it. The way that mountains were shaped must indicated that either the paths that lead here withered over time, which stopped the people of the island from coming here, or that the bandit must have destroyed it to the shape it is now."

"Impressive deduction." Zoro complimented, shooting her one of his boyish smile that made her heart feel like leaping out her chest. That sudden surge of the emotion confused her, though. Why did these intense bursts of joy keep fluttering within her since this morning? Never before had she experience this kind of sentiment for her fellow crewmate, and it only made it harder for her to remain casual in his presence.

"Thank you," she simpered before concentrating at the task in hand. There were more important things to worry about than her perplexing feelings right now. "I think we should go right hallway."

"How come?"

"It's just what my instincts are telling me."

"Okay, then we go right."

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"All that trouble for this damn gemstone. It's no bigger than a rock."

"No matter what condition or size something is, it always has value, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah. I know."

Robin looked at Zoro as he tossed the crystal blue jewel up and down in the air as they wandered back to the _Thousand Sunny_. Taking the route that she proposed, they found the sapphire buried in a tomb that was enclosed with a corpse, their prize entwined in its decayed fingers. Robin inferred that the corpse must have belonged to the keeper of the shrine and requested to be encased inside of it when he died. When the bandit came, he must have thought no one would look for the gem in a coffin and keep it hidden there until they'd discovered it.

With that adventure done, Robin could peacefully relax and enjoyed how the cool, crisp breeze wafted in the air and through her ebony hair. In spite of all the problems she and her comrade had to face along the way, she was delighted to spend some time with him alone. She knew that a real connection was now built between them, and it grow even stronger in the near future.

Oh, that reminded Robin of something she wanted to say to him before they rejoin their crew. "Zoro, I want to apologize for my prying earlier."

The young man brushed the apology off with a faint shrug of his shoulders. "Eh, don't worry about it. It's fine, but consider yourself lucky. Talking about my swords isn't something I usually do, so you better keep quiet."

The older woman smirked teasingly. "Oh, is that so? Does that make me special to you, Zoro?"

His cheeks flushed faintly at her flirty inquiry. "I only did to make us even since I saw you when you were..._indecent_. I just figured I owe you."

A lie, but one that made her pleased and happy within as she hummed a jolly tune and sashayed ahead of him. Twisting her head to offer him a charming and flirty smirk, she coquettishly quipped, "I didn't mind."

Robin laughed in amusement when his visage darkened into fifty shades of scarlet.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

As expected, as soon as they came in view of the _Sunny_, Zoro found himself being tackled onto the deck by Luffy and Chopper, tears streaming down their cheeks at the sight of the swordsman. While the ex-bounty hunter was desperately trying to remove his friends off him, Sanji dashed to Robin's side and fawned over her with concern laced in his frantic voice. Usopp, Franky, and Brook stood on the sidelines and whooped in glee, satisfied that they were alive. When the excitement passed, Zoro gave the sapphire to Nami—who was more overjoyed of seeing the gem than seeing her two shipmates back safe and sound—and climbed up to the crow's nest to train, not knowing that a pair of azure irises lingered on him until he disappeared.

Robin, on the other hand, chose to surround herself by her crewmates after the ordeal, although she couldn't keep her eyes off the green-haired man as he stalked into the crow's nest. Even though he didn't show it, she knew that he felt that something has changed between them like she did. Although she preferred to have a souvenir of their time together as a memento of their breakthrough, Robin knew she would _never_ forget what happened on this day between her and Zoro. Their time together will live on through their memories, and it was one that she would cherish forever.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"_What you have carelessly destroyed were priceless treasures, relics so rare it would be next to impossible to measure their actual worth. It's true that history may repeat itself, but people can't go back in time. A stupid brute like you wouldn't understand that."_

"_I-I understand. Please, please...I'm sorry... Won't you forgive me?"_

"_That's out of the question." _– Episode 174

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

**A/N: **Boring chapter, I know. Anyway, Merry Christmas, everyone, and a Happy New Year! As promised, one chapter a month. :) Remember to support the _One Piece_ series by buying the DVDs and by watching episodes on **OnePieceOfficial **or **Neon Alley**. **_One Piece _****Season Four Voyage Three **was released on Dec. 18 and is now available for order at local online stores.


	3. Chapter 3

**Luffy's Clothes Choice: **Orange vest with yellow buttons and red shorts with white fur hemmed at the bottom from the Thriller Bark Arc.

**Zoro's Clothes Choice: **Unzipped black jacket with crossed skulls on each side with a velvet shirt underneath, yellow pants with a black belt, and black boots from _One Piece_ Opening 12 – _Kaze wo Sagashite_/Red shirt with a single yellow button and pale green pants from _One Piece _Opening 9 – _Jungle P_.

**Nami's Clothes Choice:** Pink dress with embroidered edges with gray high-heeled gladiator sandals /Light blue tank top with a dark blue bubble pattern at the collar and denim shorts with a black belt from _One Piece _Opening 9 – _Jungle P_.

**Usopp's Clothes Choice:** Long-sleeved black shirt and white pants with pink stripes from _One Piece 3D: Straw Hat Case_.

**Sanji's Clothes Choice:** Black vest with yellow buttons and black tie over an orange, pinstriped shirt from the Water Seven Arc.

**Chopper's Clothes Choice: **White shirt, blue tie and shorts from _One Piece 3D: Straw Hat Case_.

**Robin's Clothes Choice: **Open faded purple camp shirt with white polka dots, a tight teal corset underneath, blue jeans with a brown belt, and sandals with a two-inch heel and a teal strap from _One Piece_ Opening 12 – _Kaze wo Sagashite_/Short-sleeved green blouse with pink lining and dark pink polka dots that is tied up in a knot in front, white pants, and black heels from _One Piece _Opening 9 – _Jungle P_.

**Franky's Clothes Choice: **Blue shirt with dark blue, pink, and red floral pattern from _One Piece _Opening 11 – _Share The World_.

**Brook's Clothes Choice: **Deep V-line red shirt with two yellow stripes on the sides, blue pants, and gray shoes from_ One Piece 3D: Straw Hat Case_.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"_If you ask a group of pirates to back off in front of a treasure, then you'd better have some good explanation. Otherwise, there's no way they'll back off. " _– Episode 322

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Zoro jolted up in his bed sharply, a thin sheet of sweat coated his skin as he took in deep, measured breaths for air. It's been a week since the Straw Hats left that island—a week since that intimate moment between Zoro and Robin happened. After that, the swordsman began to have dreams every night since then. Tonight was no different, and it solely focused on one person:

Nico Robin.

"Damn it, what the hell is wrong with me?" Zoro asked himself in a quiet whisper. He didn't want to wake his crewmates, after all. "I'm losing my freaking mind."

The dreams were innocent and short—always more or less the same from each other—but it frustrated Zoro to no end. In the dreams, he was with Robin and they were talking about trivial things, and she give him one of her mysterious smiles before capturing his lips with hers in a smoldering kiss.

"Stop thinking about it," the first mate muttered, snorting at the idiotic state he was in over meaningless dreams. However, he wanted—_needed_—them to stop _right now_. Why was he even having them, anyway? Why were his feelings for Robin seemed so much...stronger than before? Why couldn't he get that annoying woman off his mind? The emotions he was feeling for Robin...what are they, exactly? He never felt these feelings before, and it confused him. Was it...attraction?

"No!" he instantly exclaimed when the thought struck him. "That can't be it, there's no way..."

Sure, Robin's an extremely attractive woman, he realized that after...the incident on the island. Before that, he'd never once saw Robin as a _woman_, only as a_ comrade_. But so what if he saw her as a _woman_ now? That didn't mean anything, right? The last adventure just messed with his mind, that's all. He needed time so he can straightened himself out. After he does that, there shouldn't be any problems left for him to worry about between him and Robin. Nodding stubbornly at his conclusion, the green-haired man settled back into bed as he silently crushed the part of his brain that told him to stop making excuses.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

After smoothing the wrinkles of her faded purple camp shirt, Robin stared at herself in the mirror the next morning with an almost void expression.

"What's wrong with me lately?" she questioned. After that last adventure, the archeologist felt..._odd_—especially when she was near Zoro. No matter how she pondered about it, she couldn't find the answer. Her chest felt heavy and heat flooded to her cheeks whenever her cerulean irises landed on Zoro. It has been a week already, and she still felt that way.

What was she feeling and why? Why couldn't she focus on anything whenever Zoro was around her? Why did her heart beat so painfully every time she thought about waking up in his arms that morning? Why were her irises drawn to him when he entered the same room? Why did it feel like her chest was being squeezed so tightly when...she dreamt of him?

"No use stressing over it," Robin sighed. Checking her appearance once more, the female Devil Fruit user strode out of the women's quarters and to the kitchen for breakfast.

As usual, the first one to greet her was the lovey-dovey cook. "Good morning, Robin, my dear! Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, very much so." The archeologist offered him a polite smile as she took the vacant seat next to Franky and across from Nami. Inhaling the aromatic smell of today's breakfast, she saw that it consisted of a bowl of fresh-cut fruit, herbed basil and cheddar biscuits, crème brûlée toast, and smoked moose-meat with cheese. As for drinks, crystal juice glasses were filled to the top of their sparkling rims and porcelain cups of steaming dark roast coffee, much to Robin's delight. She loved a cup of hot coffee in the morning, and she relished in the smell of its fragrant scent.

"Does anyone know where Zoro is?" Luffy inquired his crew after he swallowed the rest of his meal down. Scanning the galley, Robin noted that the ex-bounty hunter was nowhere to be seen. A frown spread on her features as she felt a wave of disappointment awash her. "I couldn't find him when I woke up this morning."

"Did you check the crow's nest, Luffy?" Nami suggested in a bored tone. "That workout fanatic's always in there."

"Who's always where?" As if on cue, Zoro walked in—dressed in a black sweater with skulls, a velvet-colored shirt underneath, and yellow pants. It was nice change to what he normally wears, and Robin noted that he looked rather...cute.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Her blue orbs never left him, and a faint tint of pink flushed her cheeks as she watched him take a seat on the red rubber bench at the counter—directly behind her. Her heart was throbbing so rapidly the rhythmic sound vibrated in her ears loudly. Inhaling a deep breath, she tried desperately to remain calm, allowing the flush to disappear from her countenance. Luckily, no one observed how Robin has acting.

Except for one comrade, that is.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"All right, guys, listen up," the navigator proclaimed once breakfast was finished. "I want to remind all you that just because we got our hands on that sapphire doesn't mean that our food and water problem is fixed yet. We left the previous island a week ago, so we should be at the next one tomorrow. Even when we restock on our rations, I want everyone—and this goes especially to _you_, Luffy—to be considerate of our food supply."

"How come, Nami?" Luffy quizzed. "If we're going to be at the next island soon, can't we have a big feast?"

A vein of exasperation popped on her forehead. "No, you dope! Even if we sell that sapphire on the next island to get more cash to replenish our food supply, we're going to be broke again if you keep making us have gigantic feasts every day. Use your head for once, _Captain_."

"Fine, whatever," the rubber-man pouted before he pivoted to Usopp, Chopper, and Brook. "Let's go fishing, guys!"

With that, the quartet dashed out of the kitchen. One by one, the rest of the Straw Hats exited the kitchen to start their day. Nami and Robin went to the upper deck to tend to their personal plants—the orange-haired woman's tangerine trees and the historian's flowerbed; Sanji followed their lead a few minutes later to go to the library to find a cook book; Franky and Zoro sauntered to the main deck, the swordsman stalking off into the crow's nest to train, and the cyborg to the Solider Dock System to work on one of his inventions.

Normalcy was a luxury among pirates, especially among the Straw Hat Pirates. It was nice to enjoy a peaceful day without fighting or some sort of craziness to worry about. However, normalcy could never vanish among the Straw Hats, therefore something interesting was bound to happen sooner or later on the _Thousand Sunny_. And today, it will start with someone going up to the third deck with a certain motive.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"Yo, Nico Robin."

Robin drifted her eyes from the book she was reading to the shipwright, his gigantic form blocking the sunlight from her view.

"Yes, Franky?" She cocked her head to the side curiously. It was weird that he would seek her out when he was working on of his machines.

"You wanna help me with a super invention?" he beamed at her with a board grin, a sneaky glint in his hues that caused suspicion to rise within Robin. Since when did Franky want _her_ help with an invention?

Desiring to know, she nodded and stood from the lawn chair she was relaxing in. "Sure."

Nami poked her head from behind her tangerine trees to see the pair traveled down to the kitchen. "Franky, you better not messed up my Waver anymore!"

Ignoring the thief, the carpenter and the raven-haired beauty promenaded to the grassy lawn with and to the spot where several tools and a partially built piano laid. Swiveling to the Devil Fruit, he handed her a blueprint with designs.

"I'm building a piano for the aquarium for Brook. Hold this up for me, I don't the wind to blow it off somewhere."

The instructions he gave Robin puzzled her even more. Why would Franky go to the trouble to ask her to hold up a single blueprint when he could have gotten Usopp to do it?

"Franky, what's the real reason why you asked me to come here?" she inquired, not beating around the bush. The carpenter looked at her with a slightly surprise expression before he let out a low whistle and jovial laugh.

"I guess I can get anything past you, huh?" he snickered sheepishly as he sat down and began working. "Well, I wanted to talk to you about something."

Robin lowered herself right across from him. "About what?"

"You were acting super fidgety this morning, I'm kinda worried about you." Hearing this, Robin gasped slightly, but regained her composure swiftly as Franky continued. "And now that I think about it, you've been acting that way for a week now. You okay? You sick or something?"

"I'm fine. It's nothing to worry about, truly," Robin assured.

The blue-haired man frowned, a clear indication that he didn't believe her. "You don't have to lie to me. I'm a super listener! Tell me what's wrong."

"I'm touched by your concern, but I'm perfectly fi—"

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

Robin stopped her sentence midway at the sudden hammering of heart inside her chest. Glancing behind her, she saw Zoro leaped down from the crow's nest and onto the deck. It was then that her azure irises drank in the sight of him, and his naked, chiseled torso. He practically emanated pure sexuality. He had the body of fierce warrior—and one that could pleasure a woman in bed for hours.

"Hey, Zoro-bro!" Franky waved, getting no response in return. Instead, the swordsman's dark eyes flickered to the archeologist, a tint of scarlet coloring his cheeks before he rushed to the dining room for a drink. The cyborg raised a bewildered eyebrow, and he turned to the woman across from him. Robin's eyes never left the bare-chested Zoro until he disappeared into the kitchen, her visage shining with a crimson hue. Studying the shimmer of those ocean-blue irises and how her cheeks were tinged with a bright shade of pink, everything clicked in Franky's brain.

Robin and Zoro...are in love with each other.

Franky could cry out in joy at the newfound revelation, but he decided against it since it was glaringly obvious that there was inner confliction and confusion stirring between the lovebirds. What he needed to do right now was to get answers of the situation to help his crewmates.

"What's going on between you and Zoro-bro?" he quizzed innocently.

"W-What do you mean?" Robin jumped faintly at the question.

"It's not only you, you know. Zoro-bro's been acting the same way as you since we left the last island. What happened between you two, when you were all alone?"

The memory of waking up in the Zoro's arms and her skin against him made blood the blush worse. Her heart was beating too erratically, and Robin wouldn't surprise if her companion could hear it too. "Nothing happened, Franky. It's true that Zoro saved me, but that was it."

The cyborg shot her a look that told her that he knew she was lying, but he decided that it would be better if she was left in her denial and let her figure out her feelings for herself. "You sure? You're super flustered whenever Zoro-bro is around."

"It's nothing. Please don't worry about it. Excuse me, I'm going to get a drink."

Robin offered him a kind smile and promenaded in the direction of the galley with her head hung low. Just when she was about to enter, another person strolled right out and collided with her.

Zoro.

"Watch it!" he exclaimed, his palms grasping Robin's shoulders before he realized who'd bumped in to. When he did, his face reddened immediately. They gazed at each other with desire and need, their bodies jammed to each other so firmly that Robin's voluptuous breasts looked like that were about to break out of the entrapments that her corset provided. Franky stared at the scene with anticipation, honestly believing that they were going to kiss. However, Zoro roughly shoved Robin aside and stomped back to the crow's nest. "Sorry."

Franky sighed at them, Zoro for running away and Robin for letting him to do it. "So not super._"_

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

_This is getting too damn weird. _Zoro thought back in the crow's nest. _What in the hell is going on with me?_

Zoro's heart proceeded to beat quickly inside his sternum; the scarlet splotches on his countenance were still visible. It took all of his willpower not to look down at her soft mounds of flesh, and to pushed her apart from him. And why can't he stop his stupid heart from thumping so fast whenever he was by that infuriating woman?

_It's official; I'm losing my mind, _the green-haired man groaned in frustration, plopping down to take a seat on the circular couch in his gym. With a scowl, Zoro focused on meditation.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

_I'm so sick of dealing with their idiotic fights. _Nami's eyebrow twitched in annoyance due to battle going on before her.

Dinner was going on smoothly that night until the chaos erupted. The crew were joking around and laughing at each other's words and antics, except Zoro. After twenty minutes past, Sanji inquired where he was since his food was getting cold. The cook hated wasting food, so to prevent throwing away the meal he prepared, he headed for the door with a plate in hand just as Zoro showed up. As the panel opened and smacked the chef square in the face, the plate was knocked out of the blond-haired man's palms and shattered to the floor.

Which brought Nami and the other back to the current situation.

Sanji freaked out when he recovered, crying like a baby at the broken glass and food splattered on his precious floor. Zoro apologized in a nonchalant tone, which only fueled the martial artist's anger. Like always, the two began fighting over whose fault it was.

"KNOCK IT OFF, YOU MORONS!" the cartographer screamed, punching them with all the strength she could muster in her petite body. "Enough fighting, it doesn't solve anything! Zoro, you broke the plate, so as punishment—"

"How the hell is that my fault?!"

"—you have to wash the dishes tonight! There, you two are even, so shut up!"

Sanji smirked in satisfaction.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Washing dishes was certainly not the swordsman's forte. When dinner was done and the table was cleared, all of the glasses and plates piled on the counter for Zoro to clean. He tried to get Nami to lift his 'punishment' to no avail. He was forced to follow her orders, much to his dismay. Rolling up the sleeves on his sweater, the ex-bounty hunter complained as he poorly tried to do clean the dishes.

"That damn woman..." he cursed grouchily. Occupied with his mumbling, he failed to hear the sound of the door open and a person walked it. Probably just Nami or Sanji checking up on him, he assumed.

"You're not getting them clean, you know." _Her_ sultry, teasing, feminine tone reached his ears, and Zoro whipped around to see Robin leaning over the counter, unconsciously granting him a nice view of her cleavage. Fortunately, he was too surprised to focus anywhere else but her beautiful visage.

"What do you want?" Zoro pivoted his back to her, his blatant attitude hinting that her very presence was a nuisance.

Unperturbed by his rude remark, the archeologist came to his side, dipped her hands into the soapy water of the basin, and grabbed a sponge.

Her action perplexed the swordsman. "What are you doing?"

"Assisting you, seeing as you're having a difficult time doing the dishes by yourself." Her sensual lips curved into an amused smile.

"Don't bother, you'll get your shirt wet," he told her as she began to scrubbed one dirty plate over the water.

A suggestive light shone in her azure orbs that nearly stole the first mate's breath. "I'll just take it off, then."

And he consequently died when her generous bust jiggled as she removed the camp shirt from her frame and laid it on the table. Why does she always have to wear provocative and skimpy clothes?

Ripping his eyes from the tempting sight of his companion, Zoro cleared the lump that was caught in his throat as they both carried on with the dishes. "You don't have to help me. That stupid playboy and devil girl is gonna blow a fuse if he finds out."

"I know that, but it'll be faster if two people are doing it," Robin replied. "It can be our little secret, agreed?"

"Whatever," he grumbled.

She chuckled quietly, one hand diving into the sink again to fetch another filthy dish in the water. When her palm lowered down on top of the green-haired man's, and both pirates gasped at the shock of the touch. At the electrifying contact, tingles of pleasure throughout their nerves while their hearts thudding inside their torsos quicker.

"I'm sorry." Robin yanked her hand out first, water splashing onto the floor. She recoiled to put space between them, but as her heels slid on the wet floor, she slipped and started to fall backwards. Moving on impulse, Zoro wrapped an arm around her waist to catch her, but he also slipped and his eyelids closed as they both landed on the kitchen floor together.

When his eyes fluttered open after the impact, the first thing he saw was the kiss.

Blue orbs widened in sync with his at the sensation of soft, sweet lips on each other. The emotion in their hues was one of surprise and pleasure as the blush darkened on their features. Though by mistake, the kiss itself was shy and chaste and they revealed in it until Zoro reared off of her. He averted his optics elsewhere as he stood; his face was as red as a tomato as heat rushed down to his groin. It was his _first_ kiss, and now understood what he was feeling towards the raven-haired beauty.

He _desired_ her.

But no, Zoro knew that what happened was an accident. There was no way that the Robin would give consent to a real kiss, and why would she? She was _nine_ years older than he was, and though she may treat as an equal, his mind told him that she could ever see him as a kid.

Oh, boy, was he ever wrong.

Robin breathed heavily, her breasts bouncing up and down enticingly with every gasp of air. That kiss was..._amazing_. Breathtaking and pleasurable, and she glad that her _first_ kiss was with Zoro. One kiss, that's all it took for her to confirmed her feelings for the swordsman. She was, after all, compelled by _something_ to come to the kitchen to be alone with him and figure out her feelings for him. Now, she knew what it was: Desire.

There was no way she could deny it now. She yearned for Zoro, liked him—maybe even more than that. She knew that he felt the bombardment of the crackling sparks igniting between them. If that was the case, why did he retreat?

"Sorry about that. Here." He offered his hand and pulled her to her feet.

"Thank y—"

"You should change you clothes, they're wet," the ex-bounty hunter interjected, swiveling his back to her. "I'll finish here, you should go before you catch a cold or something."

"A-All right." Her voice was shaky and anxious, the urge to twist him around and smashed their mouths together crossed her mind, but she decided to ignore it and take his advice. The back of outfit was wet of falling onto the wet floor, and it was only matter of time until someone came in and caught them together.

Casting one last gaze at the swordsman, Robin grabbed her camp shirt from the table and strode to the women's quarters.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"ZORO! ZORO! WAKE UP! WE'RE AT THE NEXT ISLAND!" Luffy called him the next morning from the deck.

Zoro yawned as his eyes flickered open, bleakly and tired from waking up after a long slumber. Surveying the men's quarters, he saw that other beds were empty, meaning that the others were already awake.

"Zoro, c'mon! We're at an Autumn Island!"

"I heard you the first time, Luffy! I'll be right there!" he yelled back, jumping off his bunk and onto the floor. Changing into a red shirt and pale green pants, Zoro paced to the main deck to meet his friends, and spotted the crew peering at town from the side of the ship. The town looked like a small village frequented by lowlife punks, and nearly all of them carrying swords strapped to their backs. Otherwise, it seemed like a decent place, in Zoro's opinion.

"Good morning," greeted a melodious, sweet. Spinning around, he saw Robin with that damned mysterious smile that annoyed the hell out of him gracing her visage.

Zoro blinked at her twice in bewilderment, slightly impressed she had the courage to speak to him so casually, like last night didn't happened. He expected this, though, since he understood that Robin was the type of person that wouldn't let an accident bother her.

After pondering about that incident in the kitchen for hours, Zoro came to a decision that he never allowed the archeologist to learn of his feelings for her, knowing it was for the best for the both of them. Robin could never see him in that way, and isn't like he will profess his undying love to her like that idiot cook does fifty times a day. He was not the type of guy to get involved with a woman, especially one that was older than he was. Women were distractions to him and his goals. And besides, there was an even bigger reason why he couldn't afford anyone to find how he felt toward the female pirate.

As long as his emotions didn't cause problems for him, his relationship with Robin should be fine. Zoro decided that nothing would ever change between them, whether or not he wanted it to. It wasn't right or fair to act on his feelings for Robin. It wouldn't be honorable to _her_—to his dream.

Zoro pivoted his head in a different direction. "Morning."

"All right, guys. Time to get to work," Nami announced. Like Robin, she was also sporting a different outfit today, which consisted of a light blue tank top with a dark blue, bubble pattern at the collar and denim shorts with a belt. "Let's split into two groups, okay? One to take the sapphire to exchange it for money, and another to guard the _Sunny_."

"Excellent idea!" Sanji exclaimed ecstatically. "Nami, Robin, you're with me. The rest of you guys can—"

"Objection!" Brook protested. "I want to accompany the beautiful young ladies as well!"

Zoro exhaled an exasperated sigh. "I don't care how we split up, as long as I don't have to be with that idiot cook."

"Okay, okay! How about this?" the thief inserted before Sanji would respond to Zoro's insult. "Me, Luffy, Robin, Zoro, and Franky on one team. Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, and Brook on the other. Sound good?"

"Hey, wait a minute, Nami! Isn't most of the muscle on your side?" Usopp accused with a pointed finger. "This town looks dangerous, I don't wanna be left on the _Sunny_ with little protection! Why do you have to get all the big guns?"

"Hey, I'm a defenseless girl. I'm the one who's going to take the sapphire in town. What happened if someone tries to steal it? I'm going to need more protection than you."

"Nami, let's just go. Our captain is already taking off without us," the first mate told her, jabbing a finger to where the raven-haired boy was prancing in the streets. Nami chased after him as the rest of her group followed suit, leaving behind a shouting Usopp, a depressed Sanji, and the others onboard the _Sunny_.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU WON'T EXCHANGE OUR JEWEL FOR MONEY?!"

Luffy plugged his fingers in his ears to block out the sound of his screaming navigator, sitting atop on a nearby barrel with Franky and Zoro by his side. The captain wondered what was going on in the exchange shop that Nami and Robin went inside to get Berries in return for the gemstone.

"Hey, Zoro," Luffy began, seeking an answer from his best friend, but stopped when he noticed swordsman's attention was fixated in the direction of their female crewmembers.

Luffy's expression shifted from curiosity to flabbergast as the orange-haired woman stomped back to the men with Robin in agitation. "This sucks!"

"What's up, Nami-sis?" Franky asked.

"It turns out this town we're in doesn't take any kind of valuables in exchange for it," Robin answered.

"How come?"

"This island is known as Sword Island. You've noticed that the townspeople are carrying swords, right? According to what I heard, there's a large block made out of some hard mineral in the town's square where the people go to compete for money, along with many other contests. This town is all about swords, and if we want to earn money, then we need to enter competitions."

"Which is where you come in, Zoro," Nami added with a sly smirk. "You're a swordsman, so you're going to win competitions and earn us some cash."

"I usually don't go along with your stupid money schemes, but I'll make an exception in this case," Zoro stated, his left gripping the Wadō Ichimonji's hilt with a manic-like grin. "I'm interested to see what this town has to bring to the table."

"Awesome, let's check it out," Luffy whooped with excitement. "To the town's square!"

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Franky eyed Robin and Zoro relentlessly as they ambled to the square, hoping to see a sign of their obvious attraction to one another. He knew Zoro was staring at the raven-haired beauty when she was in that shop with Nami when he thought no one was looking at him.

The cyborg thought something happened last night between them after he spotted the archeologist sneakily went in the kitchen to be with Zoro, but he couldn't decipher if that something was a good thing or bad. Currently, the two lovebirds were striding next to each other, but Zoro refused to acknowledge Robin's presence. Just went on between those two that made them like this? Why was he acting like she didn't exist when she was so close to him?

_Super weird, _Franky perused. His inklings were cut off at the sound of a sword slicing through a hard object that was soon drowned out by people cheering. The carpenter tore his irises from his buddies to see that they were standing in front of a huge crowd. In the center of the throng was a huge piece of gray rock that he deduced to be stone that was covered in slashes created by swordsmen that were fighting in this contest.

A man with a curly moustache and bald head—the referee—was measuring the size of the freshly made cut in the hard mineral with a ruler, announcing the length to the rowdy townsfolk and gestured to a middle-age guy with long brown hair and stubble next to him.

"I get it. Whoever can chip that piece of rock the best is the winner. It's a test of strength," Zoro remarked, brandishing his pure-white sword from its sheath. "Looks simple enough."

"Is there anyone else who like to take the challenge?" the referee inquired the crowd.

"I will," Zoro declared, stepping forward with confidence. "This so-called challenge is nothing more than child's play. Cutting through something like this and only making a small dent in it proves that aren't any real opponents here."

"You cocky bastard!" the man next to him seethed in anger at the insult, almost drawing his sword out if several others didn't hold him back.

Ignoring the enraged competitor, Zoro smirked and charged swiftly forward with Wadō in his grip. "**Single Sword Style: Lion's Strike**!

Moving so quickly that no one could track him, Zoro appeared behind the rock with his sword sheathed in a matter of seconds. As soon as they heard a _click_, the next thing the crowd witnessed was the large piece of rock being sliced in two.

While Franky and his buddies wore proud smiles, the rest of the townspeople were stunned, their eyes popped out of their sockets in astonishment at the skill that Zoro had demonstrated. Minutes passed of awe silence until the crowd burst into appraisement for Zoro.

"That was amazing!"

"Did you see that?! That guy cut through the thing like it was fruit!"

In the mist of the din, the referee strolled up to Zoro and handed him a hefty bag of money. After thanking him, the Straw Hats' swordsman sauntered back to his crew.

"Here's the prize I earned. One bag with 500,000 Berries in total."

"Great work, Zoro!" Nami's almond eyes sparkled with her usual greed, her fingers reaching out to take the bag.

However, Zoro hid behind his back. "Hold it. Before I give you the money I won, you have to promise me that this settles my debt with you, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, just give it to me!"

Satisfied, the ex-bounty hunter snickered and gave her the bag. "Here you go, then."

"Don't be grateful just yet. You have to win more contests for us to buy more supplies," Nami reminded. "Me and Luffy are going to start shopping and then go back to the _Sunny_. Franky and Robin, stay with Zoro so he won't get lost."

"All right, Nami-sis." Franky waved as the navigator dragged Luffy out of sight.

"Well, we should get going." Robin smiled at Zoro.

"Yeah, whatever," he grumbled as they marched in another direction.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Robin observed contest after contest with admiration as Zoro conquered every one in the town easily. His skills were god-like to the citizens, and it wasn't long until the townsfolk began asking his identity and if they would like to spend time with them. Zoro had become quite the idol in this rough village for his incredible swordsmanship.

Throughout the day, Robin concluded that this small town wasn't very high traffic to pirates, which meant they were ignorant to who he was. This town looked rundown, judging from the cracks and holes in most of the homes she'd seen. She couldn't even find a bookstore or a place to find to read the newspaper.

Near sundown, a elderly man dressed in a plain yellow kimono, who turned out to be the mayor, invited Zoro to a party at the best tavern in town as way to show him how impressed the people were by him. Zoro was going to decline, but when he heard that they were serving alcohol, he immediately accepted. The mayor even allowed Zoro to bring the rest of his friends.

By nightfall, all of the Straw Hat Pirates were dancing and partying inside a well-furnished bar. Zoro, meanwhile, was being pampered by food and questions from most of the townspeople, to the swordsman's dismay. Robin chuckled faintly at the sight, sympathizing with the swordsman's desire for solitude.

Desire... A wistful smile blossomed on her countenance as she stared at Zoro from afar, who was joining in a toast that Luffy started to celebrate for his crewmate's hard work. After last night, Robin felt more serene that she ever felt before once she realized her feelings for Zoro. She wanted nothing more to be with him right now, but she knew that it was impossible at the moment.

She understood that last night made things a bit awkward for him to be around her, but Robin knew that it had the same affect on him like it did her. She will wait for him make the first move, needing assurance that he felt the exact same way she did for him and not like all the other men that merely approached her for one thing: Sex.

Over her twenty years of running and hiding from the World Government by joining vicious pirate crews, she was used to men coming up to her for their own perverse desires. Her beauty allured unwanted men, and though she would use their lust as an advantage to get what she wanted, she never allowed any of them to touch in an intimate way. Robin considered her virginity to be the most pure thing about her, which was natural for all women.

The sound of squealing snapped the historian out of her musings and directed her optics to the group of flirty, pretty women that was surrounding Zoro from his spot at the counter. Robin frowned bitterly; irked at the scene those girls shamelessly flirting with him. In spite of Zoro's attempts to brush the women off, the surge of jealousy made her think of sprouting her Flower-Flower appendages and crawl their eyes out.

"You okay, Nico Robin?" a friendly voice questioned her by her side. Franky joined her against the wall she was leaning against, a bottle of cola one hand as he lifted his sunglasses up to study her.

"I'm fine," she lied.

Seeing the evident jealousy reflecting in her orbs, Franky declared, "You can go over there, you know. You super like Zoro-bro, don't you? You've been staring at him a lot."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Robin closed her eyes and spoke in a forced, firm tone to hide her true emotion. She didn't want anyone to see her with such an obvious emotion written across her face in contrast to her usual calm _façade_. "You're jumping to conclusions."

The flamboyant pirate grinned teasingly. "Am I, or do I detect a bit of jealousy?"

"Franky, I'm not jealous. I have no reason to be."

He let out a tired sigh at her denial. "Sure, whatever you say."

"Is there anything you want?" Robin kept her irises stonily glued on Zoro, who was now pushing away the group of girls and stalking out of the bar. Where was he going?

"Just wanna give you a piece of advice."

"Oh? And what is that?"

"Just to take your own words back at Water Seven to heart, that's all," the shipwright said as he roved to where the rest of their crewmates were. Without turning around to her, Robin could hear the smirk in his voice. "If you see the treasure you want, then don't let it go without a good reason. So, what're you waiting for? You're a pirate, aren't ya? Go after the treasure _you_ want."

"Thank you, Franky." Nodding gratefully, Robin left the bar in hot pursuit of Zoro.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

The night breeze cool the agitated swordsman's mind as he wandered aimlessly through the streets, allowing his legs to take him anywhere just as long as he get away from the tavern. He had enough with the townsfolk coming up to him and prying into his business, especially those crazy girls that were trying to invite him to 'play' with them. Zoro snorted at their futile efforts into taking him to bed. Like he'll ever do _that_ with a bunch of lunatic women that were only interested in his sculpted body and skills.

Pausing in his tracks, Zoro directed his eyes to the building in front of him, a sense of nostalgia washing over him. A dojo, like where he trained with Kuina back in his hometown, Shimotsuki Village. In the courtyard, he saw practice dummies as he stepped up to one with a melancholy half-smile.

"This sure brings back memories," he remarked, recollection of his 2001st duel with his childhood friend came rushing back to him. Even though she was dead, Zoro could still feel her presence—her spirit—with him because of the Wadō Ichimonji. It's always been like that for him since his dear friend died, knowing that Kuina would forever watch over him until he achieved both their dream to the become the world's greatest swordsman.

The sound of light footsteps behind the first mate hooked him out his trip down memory lane and back to reality. This presence...was familiar. Swiveling to the source, Zoro nearly called Kuina's name until he saw the beautiful face of the Straw Hats' female Devil Fruit user smiling at him.

She sat on the patio of the dojo, a book in lap and rested her elbows on her knees. "Hello, Zoro."

"What're you doing here, Robin?" he quizzed gruffly, hoping that he make her skittered away if he was rude to her. He didn't want her to see the faint blush on his cheeks whenever they were alone together.

Naturally, she remained unaffected by his coarse personality. "You really ought to be nicer to women, or else you're going to end up a heartbreaker. Girls have feelings, too, so you shouldn't blow every girl you met off like you did earlier."

"I'm steering clear of all women at the moment. Trust me, it's in the best interests of women everywhere," he responded. The main reason why he can't have Robin knowing of his true feelings for her was because of his fear of hurting his loved ones. It was bad for any woman to be close with him since they were only going to end up hurt. He learned that lesson when Kuina died the next day after their promise—the only woman he had ever cared about died because of _him_ and his stupid competitive edge. If they hadn't dueled that night, then Kuina would had never have to get a sharpening stone from her family's storehouse and fell down the stairs. If he weren't for him, she would still be alive...

"You can't decide that for everyone, it's quite unfair to those who want that from you."

"What are you going here?" he repeated in order to change the subject.

"I could ask you the same thing. I saw you left the party, so I followed you."

"I wanted some peace and quiet."

"I can understand that," she concurred, gesturing to the book in her lap. "May I stay here?"

Zoro arched an eyebrow at her odd request. Why was she asking for permission? "Sure, do whatever you want. Doesn't matter to me."

She beamed at him. "Thank you. I didn't want to intrude on your personal space, seeing as you had enough of that tonight."

"If it's you, then I don't mind." The words slipped right out his mouth before he could chain them up. The pair froze, awestruck by the reverence imbued within that sentence. Zoro gulped nervously at the tiny mistake, wondering how the raven-haired beauty would react.

Instead of a playful tease that he'd expected, she simpered at him with flushed cheeks. Damn, why the hell does she always to look so mesmerizing? "I'm glad to hear that, Zoro."

"Uh-huh..." He pivoted his back in anxiety as a peaceful silence swamped them.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Zoro insisted that she should get back to the crew after an hour, telling her that it was getting late and the others would be searching for them. Robin reluctantly agreed, worrying that she may had overextended herself, but he assuaged her by saying that he will be right behind her. He said he needed a moment alone for himself at the dojo, so she complied.

The wind wafted through her, causing goosebumps to form on her skin. The Devil Fruit user shivered, wrapping her arms around herself to preserve heat. It was getting really cold, but Robin should expect as much from an Autumn Island. However, the cold air wasn't the only thing that made chills run up her spine.

The townsfolk that didn't attend the party at the tavern were strewed in the alleys and streets, bottles of rum and other alcohol littering the ground. They were all swordsmen, all of which that were jealous of Zoro's popularity in their hometown. Their dirty eyes trailed over her partial-exposed frame, lust blazing in them as the sight of the beautiful woman.

"You there!" shouted a slurred voice from behind her. "Come here and play with us a bit."

Robin ignored them, not wanting to waste them dealing with foolish, drunk men. They weren't worth the trouble.

"Hey, I'm talkin' to you!"

A hand grabbed her shoulder, but Robin hastily slapped it off her. She whipped her head to the punks behind her, counting at least seven of them slithering up to her. It wasn't long until they created a circle around her, snaring the female pirate it their trap.

She glared icily. "Excuse me, but I would appreciate it if you let me through."

The drunken men cackled hoarsely and one of them hooted, "You're a tough babe! How 'bout you come with hang out with us? We'll show you a good time."

The historian's mouth twisted in distaste, her nose scrunching up in disgust at what he was trying to imply. "I sincerely doubt it. Now, if you men would excuse me, I have friends I hav—"

A scrawny arm enveloped her body from behind, the other one gripping her left wrist in the air as the rotten stench of alcohol caused her cringed in revulsion.

"What're you doing?!" Robin demanded furiously, wriggling to get free.

"You're just as uptight as you look," the pervert whispered in her ear, and the urge to vomit almost overwhelmed her.

"_What_?"

"You need to loosen up some," her aggressor continued in a lewd tone. "I doubt your _pathetic_ crush wants to touch a frigid block of ice."

Azure irises narrowed. "My crush?"

"It's almost cute that you're saving your virginity for Roronoa Zoro."

"That's enough!" Enraged, Robin broke free of the man restraining her and crossed her arms over her chest and palms facing upwards. "You people should have backed off when you had the chance. **Treinta Fleur: Clutch**!"

Appendages emerged from the ground and on the bodies on the punks that were trying to rape her. As soon as she curled her fingers in, the sound of backs snapping in half echoed in the air. Her copy limbs dispersed into flower petals as the men slumped to the ground in pain just as Zoro came speeding to her.

"Robin!" He surveyed the area before looking at her. "Are you all right? What happened?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle. These drunkards were merely trying to take advantage of me."

A dark, mad expression crossed his features, Zoro's palm grasping onto his Shusui. "They tried to do _what_?"

"I'm all right, please don't worry," she told him softly, laying a gentle hand on his forearm to sooth his anger. She smiled, flattered by his concern that made butterflies fluttered in her stomach. "We should we go."

He relented at her calm touch and nodded. "Yeah."

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"Man, that was an awesome party!" Luffy exclaimed as he and the crew boarded the _Sunny_ the next morning after the Straw Hats had breakfast. "The food was tasty, too!"

"Yohohoho!" Brook chuckled happily. "I agree! It was so much fun, I thought my heart would burst from all of the excitement! But I don't have a heart! Yohohoho!"

"It wasn't that great," mumbled the blond-haired cook, slouching in despair behind Usopp and Nami.

"You only say that because all the girls liked Zoro and not you," the sniper pointed out matter-of-factly.

"Well, it wasn't fair that idiotic moss-head got all the girls and I didn't!"

"Stop whining about it, Curly Cook. What's done is done, no use complaining about it now," Franky chimed as he went to the helm with Robin and Nami. "Where to next, Nami-sis?"

Nami checked the Log Pose tied to her wrist before answering, "Head port this time."

"Right!"

"If anyone needs me, I'll be in the library working on maps. Call me down when it's time for lunch," she informed as she walked away.

"Franky," Robin tapped his shoulder to get his attention. "Thank you for yesterday. It really helped me."

The cyborg grinned at her brightly. "That so? Good to hear, then! Were you able to get your 'treasure'?"

She giggled, amused. "Not quite yet, but I think I'm close."

"Super!" The energetic carpenter struck his usual pose, leaning on one leg to the side and connected his wrists to form a blue star. "Keep at it, Nico Robin."

"Thank you very much."

"Just remember, as pirates, getting treasure isn't easy, " Franky advised, casting a knowing glance to Zoro, who was now in the middle of a typical brawl with Sanji on the main deck. "He's kinda stubborn, you know."

"That's all right. I like challenges. And besides, I'm not too worried." Robin smiled warmly, strolling over to the railing to peer down at the object of her desire. "The one thing I wanted out of life from someone...doesn't seem so far out of reach anymore. I have a feeling I'll get my 'treasure' in no time at all."

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"_The one thing I always wanted in life...doesn't seem so far out of reach anymore." _– Episode 164

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

**A/N: **I know, lame and I'm cutting it close, right? Well, school is damping my free time, and although I'm still technically keeping my promise to update once a month, I would like to have more time to revise and proofread my chapters. School is making me depressed, but don't worry. I'll defiantly keep my promise to update once a month! :) Sorry if there were a lot of mistakes in the chapter, I was rushing again. Nothing's exciting happening right now, but I hope everyone enjoyed this.

Remember to support the _One Piece_ series by buying the DVDs and by watching episodes on **OnePieceOfficial **or **Neon Alley**. And yes, I did borrow some quotes from _One Piece Unlimited Cruise 1: The Treasure Beneath The Waves_.


	4. Chapter 4

**Luffy's Clothes: **Opened light orange-red hoodie with drawstrings and blue shorts from the Little East Blue Arc.

**Zoro's Clothes: **Unzipped yellow jacket with one pocket flap on each side from the Enies Lobby Arc.

**Nami's Clothes: **Dark blue, short-sleeved shirt with pink polka dots from the end of Thriller Bark Arc/Transparent brown top with a black bra visible underneath, blue jeans, and pink heals from the Little East Blue Arc.

**Usopp's Clothes: **Normal brown overalls with a white sash and no shirt underneath.

**Sanji's Clothes:** Black suit with a white shirt underneath from _One Piece _Opening 9 – _Jungle P_.

**Chopper's Clothes:** Normal maroon shorts.

**Robin's Clothes: **V-necked, black tank top with a high collar with orange diamond-shaped pattern around it and around the bottom, orange shorts, and sandals from _One Piece _Opening 6 – _Brand New World_/Blue, long-sleeved sweater with a snow cones pattern at the end of the sleeves and around the collar, white miniskirt, and dark blue heels from the Little East Blue Arc.

**Franky's Clothes: **Opened red leather jacket with two white stripes going down the sleeves from Little East Blue Arc.

**Brook's Clothes: **Lilac-colored, long-sleeved sweater with white, frilly cuffs and Japanese characters with his Jolly Roger under it, pink neckerchief, gray jeans, and black, frilly boots from theLittle East Blue Arc.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"_Maybe, but tell me something: What could be more important than chasing your dream?" _– Episode 223

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"Ugh, I give up!" Luffy tossed his cards in the air and let them fall carelessly on the _Sunny's_ deck. He plopped on his back as Robin giggled lightly at her captain. Together with him, Franky, Usopp, Chopper, Brook, and Nami, the archeologist was spending a beautiful afternoon playing poker—and was currently the one who was winning all the rounds. "I don't get it. How come no one can beat her? It's the eight round!"

"Robin's really good at this," Chopper commented with awe.

Franky, however, remained suspicious at her lucky streak. Eyeing the raven-haired beauty, he rubbed his chin in thought. "Something's off. No one can make a super clean sweep like this. It's impossible."

"Oh? Are you accusing me of cheating, then? Do you have a any proof?" she quizzed with a cunning smirk.

"Well, no..."

"Nami~! Robin~!" called Sanji, twirling like a ballerina onto the deck with a tray of ice-cold lemonade glasses with a tiny umbrella and straw in them. Bowing to the only two females, he spoke in a gentleman tone. "Here you are, Mademoiselles, a special drink for the two of you."

Nami beamed, taking the cool refreshment off the tray. "Thanks, Sanji."

"Thank you." Robin smiled politely as she took hers.

The lovesick pirate simpered. "My pleasure, ladies. If there's anything I can do for you this fine day, just let me know."

"Will do." The navigator dismissed him with a wave of her hand, and off the blond-haired cook went into the kitchen as Luffy ran after him.

"Hey, wait! Sanji! I'm thirsty, too! Give me some lemonade! And meat! Lots and lots of meat!"

"Hell no! I'm still angry at you for eating all our food in a idiotic eating contest!"

"But Zoro got us more crash, and we restocked two days ago! C'mon, please?"

"Forget it!"

"Hey! Will you morons shut the hell up? I'm trying to nap!" shouted a grumpy voice. Leaning against one side of the ship—directly behind Robin—Zoro awoken from his nap. Said crewmates disappeared into the kitchen, leaving his the swordsman's yell unheard. Standing up from his spot, Zoro strapped his swords back into the brown bands attached his haramaki.

"Hey, Zoro, you going to train?" Usopp asked, shuffling the deck of cards in his hands.

"Yeah."

"Luffy's out. How about you play with us? We're starting a new game."

"That's a good idea!" Franky cheered in agreement with a sly grin. "You work super hard all the time. Take a break every now and then."

"Yeah, Zoro, play with us!" the young reindeer chimed in happily.

"No thanks."

"But—"

"Oh, leave him, Chopper," Nami inserted with a mocking grin. "Zoro's just afraid of losing all the extra money he got."

A vein of irritation pulsed on the swordsman's forehead. Ignoring the little witch, he climbed the ropes up to his gym, unknown that a pair of disappointed azure orbs was on him until he vanished from sight.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Robin exhaled a sad sigh when she watched the green-haired man go into the crow's nest. Next to her, she heard Franky murmuring small curses at his failed plan to get him and Robin closer together. The historian shot a grateful smile at him at his attempt to help. He's been so supportive to her feelings for Zoro, like an older brother helping out his younger siblings. Robin supposed it was habit since he lived with the Franky Family for so long.

"I'm worried about Zoro," the Zoan Devil Fruit user remarked, his tone laced with concern. "He's always pushing himself so hard. It isn't healthy for him to keep stressing his body so much."

"I with you on that," Usopp said, dividing the cards amongst them. "But he seems to be doing okay since Thriller Bark. Zoro's strong, so I'm not that worried. He should lighten up a bit, though."

"Speaking of Thriller Bark, did anyone figured out what happened to Zoro-bro when we were unconscious?" Franky quizzed, eliciting a nervous gasp from Brook. Luckily, no one except Robin noticed. "I still find it weird that bear guy didn't kill us after that shockwave. And when we woke up, Straw Hat was energetic while Zoro-bro went in a coma. He was in really bad shape, and we still don't know what happened."

"Yeah, but it's not like Zoro is going to tell us anything," the cartographer pointed out. "The jerk is always keeping to himself, never letting anyone in. He's not gonna tell us anything if all of us got down on our knees and beg him."

"The most important thing that all of us—including Zoro—made it out alive, so let's not worry about it anymore," Robin stated casually, hoping to change the subject for Zoro and Brook's sake. The reaction from the skeleton told her that he knew about the first mate's self-sacrifice Bartholomew Kuma showed on Thriller Bark. She'd always knew that the dead musician also knew since she saw him speaking quietly to Sanji during the party after that tragic event happened.

"I agree with Robin," Brook spoke up in a low voice, gazing in female Devil Fruit user's direction in curiosity. Holding his cards up, he smiled widely at his comrades. "Let's play, shall we?"

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Setting the heavy dumbbells down on the metal carpet, Zoro grabbed a white towel off the rack and wiped off the sweat rolling his face and neck. Taking a seat next to where he put his yellow jacket on the circular bench, the ex-bounty hunter gazed out of one of the many windows, his dark eyes captivated on Robin.

After what happened in the last island, he'd firmly asserted that was no way in hell he will ever let anyone know the feelings he harbored for the archeologist, especially the archeologist herself. Only hurt will come from it, and Zoro would rather died than let that happened.

Tearing his eyes away from the window, he let himself slid off the bench and onto the cold floor. Now that he completed his afternoon training, it was time to mediate. He crossed his legs and placed his palm over the other in his lap, allowing his mind to be calm and clear like a polished mirror.

After five seconds of peace, he heard his captain slammed the hatch opened and screamed, "ZORO!"

Said person groaned, his concentration broken. _Note to self: Ask Franky to build a lock. A really big, unbreakable lock._

"Zoro! Zoro!" Luffy waved a hand in front of his best buddy's face until Zoro's eyelids snapped open and he gripped his wrist almost painfully.

Pitying the poor Devil Fruit user that was withering in his grasp, he released his hold and folded his arms over his torso. "What, Luffy?"

The raven-haired boy's lips curved into his famous dopey grin. "What're you going?"

"Mediating."

"Is it important?"

"Sort of."

"Come play with me! I'm bored!" Luffy whined, his hand reaching to grab his first mate.

Zoro slapped his hand away. "No. Geez, Luffy, if you're bored, then go ask Chopper, Brook or Usopp to play with you."

"But they're still playing cards with Nami, Robin and Franky, and I don't wanna play since Robin keeps beating me."

"Go aggravate the idiot cook for food, then."

"I already did. Sanji kicked me out."

"Go fish."

"But it's no fun doing it by myself."

Zoro scrubbed a hand over his face in exasperation. "Tell you what, I'll fish with you in one hour, okay?"

"Okay!" Luffy smiled broadly. "I'll go get the gear out and see if we have any bait left. Hurry up, all right?"

"Yeah, yeah, just go. If you don't leave, I'm going to take longer to mediate."

"Got it, I'm going! See you in a bit, bud!" And with that, he hopped down the hatch.

Zoro shook his head, a mild smirk spread on his face at his naïve but lovable captain. Adjusting his position once more, he closed his eyes and let his mind clear.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"LAND HO!" Usopp exclaimed later that evening. The sun was nearly set over the horizon by the time the Straw Hats completed dinner. Since he was eating swiftly so Luffy wouldn't steal his food, the sniper strolled to the front of the ship and spotted the island from the bow. "Guys, come out here! There's an island up ahead!"

"REALLY?" Luffy rushed out of the kitchen to the bow, his belly bloated like a balloon. "Awesome! Let's go there for tonight!"

"Are you sure it's an island, Usopp?" Nami inquired as she and the others joined him and their rubbery friend. "According to the map, we weren't supposed to reach land for another week."

"It's been an unknown island, then," Robin suggested.

Uncaring about the small details, as usual, Luffy turned to his shipwright. "Franky, steer the ship that way! Let's go to Meat Island!"

"Don't name it that!" Usopp and Nami yelled, whacking him on the head.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"COOL~!" Luffy's eyes sparkled brightly as he jumped off the _Sunny_ and onto the sandy beach with his crew. Scanning his surroundings for a moment, Luffy nodded and pivoted to his crew. "All right, men! Set up camp for tonight!"

"Luffy, wait. I don't think that's a good idea," the ship's resident thief proclaimed, her irises glued to the sky as a cold breeze wafted through.

"How come?"

"I can see clouds gathering, and the temperature is dropping. If it is, then it's going to rain soon."

"So we'll sleep inside tonight?" Chopper asked the blond-haired cook, who was lighting a cigarette.

"Seems so," he replied.

"That's a shame." Brook said, his empty eye sockets rooted into the faint stars that were beginning to be obscure by the clouds. "I was hoping to fall asleep while gazing at the twinkling stars. Ah, but I don't have eyes at all! Yohohoho!"

Sanji sighed tiredly. "Can't be helped, let's get back on the _Sunny_."

"Uh, guys..." Franky started nervously. "Where are Zoro-bro and Nico Robin?"

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"We're lost."

"I never told you to follow me."

"You shouldn't be exploring an uncharted island at night."

"Whatever. Do you know how to get back?"

"No. All these palm trees look the same, and I didn't expect you to wander off so far. I was too focused on trying to stop you, I didn't commit the way back to memory."

As soon as they docked at the island, Zoro decided to walk around for a bit before they go to bed—completely ignorant to the conversation that was going between his other crewmembers—and after a few minutes, he heard a feminine voice calling out to him and saw that the historian trailing after him.

"This isn't good," Robin remarked, feeling a droplet of water fell on her face.

"What's wrong?" He got his answer without a verbal response. Thunder rumbled in the heavens, and rain immediately came pelting down on them. "Oh, crap! Stupid rain!"

Surveying the area through the darkness, Robin peered through the palm trees and saw a hut several feet from where they were. "I see a hut. Let's use it for shelter until the storm stops."

"Lead the way."

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"Damn," Zoro cursed as he observed the storm from the window. The hut they took on as their shelter for tonight was surprisingly easy to get in to. The door was unlocked, and the place was deserted. It looked like someone used to live on this island and was now dead or gone.

The house was simple and very small, its one space acted as the kitchen from one side, the living room in the center with a red couch, and a decent bed with a blue blanket at the other side by the window.

"I found some towels," Robin announced, digging in one of the kitchen cabinets. Zoro whipped his head from the window, and blushed bright red. She was on her hands and knees, her face buried in one of the cabinets under the sink and dressed in a black, lacey bra and underwear. Since they were soaking wet from the rain, the pair stripped off their clothes and hang it by the fireplace to dry. He didn't take off was his black trousers, though, for obvious reasons.

The swordsman ripped his orbs away from the tempting sight. Clipping his yellow jacket by the fireplace next to his haramaki that were beside Robin's black shirt and orange shorts, he sat down as Robin sauntered behind him as she dropped a large white towel on his head.

Descending next to him, she wiped the droplets of water off her creamy skin and squeezed her wet hair before she wrapped it around herself. Zoro merely let the towel hung over his shoulders when he was done, his optics rooted to the dancing flames in front of him. "You think the others are worrying about us?"

"Yeah, but I'm sure they know we're taking shelter until the rain dies down. That idiot cook will come look for _you _as soon as possible. He'll probably tear the island apart while he's doing it."

She giggled at the plausible idea. "It's not wrong to care, is it?"

Zoro shrugged. "It's not wrong, but sometimes it's unnecessary. It's just a storm. It's not like we're dying."

"True, but I like it. I like that someone out there is caring for me. I haven't had that in a long time." Zoro studied at her, noting how forlorn and solemn she sounded. He understood why she did, having been on the run for twenty years after her mother and Ohara perished by the Buster Call, constantly betrayed by everyone she crossed until she found a home with the Straw Hats. She looked like she was on the verge of breaking into tears. A moment passed until she directed her piercing blue hues from the fire to him. "What about you? Is there anyone you have worried about you at home?"

The first mate shook his head as memories of the day Kuina died flashed inside his mind. "No, not really. Even if I did I have someone like that, I wouldn't want them to worry about so much about me."

"Why's that?"

"I'm not used to it, because I've been on my own for so long. Even now, with all of guys here, I don't want anyone to worry about me. Not that much has changed for me after meeting Luffy. I care about the crew, but I still want my privacy and don't want everyone to be concern for me. Worrying too much is annoying."

Robin smiled sorrowfully. "It took me a very long time to let anyone in. When I finally did, the fear for losing you and the others came too much to bear. So in Water Seven, I struck a deal with CP9 to help you leave and pretended that I betrayed you. Stupid, but all I could think during that time was keeping all of you safe and how scared I was when I thought that you might find me a burden and cast me aside. At Enies Lobby, that was the worst thing I'd ever experienced, but it was also one of the greatest because you came, Zoro—all of you did."

He shot her an incredulous look. "Of course we came, you think anyone on the crew will tolerate another crewmate sacrificing themselves for us?"

"Hmm, you're right." A pregnant silence, and then, "You and I...are a lot alike. We do stupid, reckless things for the sake of our crew, like how you attacked Eneru back in Skypiea when he struck me down. Nami told me what happened, how you caught me and tried to kill Eneru in rage. I never thank you for that, so—"

"You don't have to, I just can't stand a person who attacked women without a good reason. Besides, anyone else would do the same for a friend."

"True, but still...I'm glad it was _you_ who caught me. It showed me how much you care for my well-being." Robin's voice was soft, reverence imbued in her words. "You're always there to help me in my time of need."

The raven-haired beauty grinned and chuckled when she the swordsman's cheeks flushed crimson. "Yeah, well... We have a crazy crew that has a habit of getting into trouble, so it's natural for us to look after one another. That's how it works for a crew. You caught me at Thriller Bark after I was knocked by Luffy's zombie, didn't you? So, we're even. Plain and simple."

"Well, I should tell you that the others are worried about you. You shouldn't push yourself so hard after what happened on Thriller Bark."

The green-haired man scoffed. "I know my limits, so you can everyone to keep their nagging to themselves."

"Why do you push yourself so hard?"

"To get stronger to achieve my ambition to the best swordsman in the world. It's the same for everyone else in the crew, isn't it? We all do things to help us get closer to our goals in life. Luffy wants to be King of the Pirates, so that's why that idiot is always fighting so hard and doing reckless things all the time. And besides, I made a promise I intend to keep. Isn't it the same for you, Robin? That's why you're always reading about archeology, right?"

"Indeed. My dream is to find the Rio Poneglyph and discover the True History. It's what kept me going this far in life—the one purpose that drove me into living until I met you and the others. Meeting Luffy and everyone else...it gave me a new purpose in life."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. It's like what I told Chopper back when we were traveling to Alabasta. Working together with Luffy all this time—fighting alongside him—it gave me a new goal to work towards to."

"Oh? What is that?" Robin questioned with genuine inquisitiveness.

A slight smirk appeared on his handsome visage. "I can't explain it. Kinda hard to put into words when I think about letting that rubber imbecile be my captain, but that's what make Luffy who he is."

"We also have that in common, don't we?"

"Like how we also known as demons to the entire world?

"Well, I can't say I have much of an opinion of being called that," Robin said, tightening the towel around her body as if she was cold. Memories of her the destruction of her home raced inside her mind and she could still feel the lingering pain of that day. "The World Government merely gave me that moniker when they accused my people of trying to destroy the world by reviving the Ancient Weapons. Then, they killed my island and I was the only survivor, so I became known as a demon at the age of eight. The Ohara Clan sought out the True History, and nothing more. I've been carrying that title and the dreams of my clan since then. For twenty long years..."

When she trailed off, Robin finally realized just how violently she was shaking and how tears streamed down her face in rivulets. A strong, comforting arm circled around her waist, pulling her close to a solid, muscular frame that provided her with solace. She gasped silently in surprise, her face buried against a warm chest and arm enveloping her. Was Zoro..._embracing_ her?

Leaning more into his body, she inhaled his steely scent. It felt _so_ good to be back in his comforting embrace, and she raised a hand to where his heart was. It was pounding against his ribcage rapidly, much like hers. The tears that filled her eyes ceased, and when she lifted her head to gaze at the swordsman, his left palm came and caressed her cheek tenderly. Zoro smoothed the wetness streaked on her beautiful face, and Robin shut her eyes so he could brush his fingertips over her petal-soft eyelids. Wishing to see his countenance, the Devil Fruit user's eyes fluttered open and she peered profoundly into those dark irises that were blazing with the same emotions that were shimmering in hers: Passion. Want. _Love_.

Before she knew it, his lips slanted over hers in a hungry, passionate kiss. The kiss inflamed them both, and Robin's hands flew into his mossy hair as she kissed him back fervently. When her hands touched him, Zoro trembled; shocked at much he wanted her. He thought that it was okay to let a little of his feelings show when she started to cry, so he enclosed her in his embrace to offer her comfort. The second her slender form was pushed against his, all of his walls and barriers broke down and the burning need to kiss her overwhelmed him. The intensity of his craving for female scared him, but he couldn't find the strength to tear himself away from her.

Robin moaned into his mouth, relishing how his tongue began exploring every inch of her wet cavern and how it dueled with hers for dominance. Her hands roamed his torso, tracing over his well-defined abs and muscles. But she wanted more—so much more than kissing and fondling. She wanted him to make her his woman.

She wanted him to make love to her.

"Zoro..." She removed her lips from his for air, his hot breath fanning her flushed face. "Please..."

Hearing her desperate plea, he smashed his mouth back on hers, darting his tongue back inside her sweet cave. Her legs clasped around his waist as he stood and walked over to the bed. Zoro laid her on her back gently on the soft mattress, his form hovering over hers. He was careful to use his arms to support him, not wanting to crush her delicate frame. They pulled apart from oxygen, and the woman beneath him moaned in pleasure as he peppered her elegant neck and collarbone with fiery kisses, her fingers entwined in his short locks tightened.

Lifting her hips to meet his, they both gasped at the delicious friction of their bodies against each other. Robin could feel his rigid erection through the barriers of the remaining garments, and she swiveled her pelvis over his to feel that blissful sensation again. His mouth was on hers, his callous palms skimming her voluptuous body, leaving no inch untouched. She sighed at the bliss; it was if her entire was on fire at his touch.

Sprouting two extra hands on the sides of her abdomen, her phantom appendages struggled with undoing his pants. Soon enough, she could feel the swordsman doing the same thing to her, unhooking her bra from her chest and dropped it carelessly onto the floor. Her breasts were round and firm, the pink bud on each peaked to its fullest and waiting to be sucked. Taking one taut nipple into his mouth, Zoro cupped the other in his hand and Robin cried of pleasure. Her flesh tasted addicting, a sinful combination of spicy and sweet.

"Zoro..." She whimpered his name repeatedly, her hands—her real ones—scored his shoulders and he let out a rough moan in response.

She arched her body into his, drawing herself closer to him in urgent need. His mouth abandoned her breast and Zoro buried his face in the back of her neck, inhaling her intoxicating scent that only made him want her more. His palms skimmed her bare, velvet skin and when his tongue flickered out to lick her slowly, Robin's heart skipped a beat.

She felt his fingers hooked under the straps of her underwear, sliding it off her and adding it to rest of their clothes on the floor. Withdrawing, he stretched out beside her and stared down at her with hungry-filled eyes. But, he also appeared..._nervous_, too?

"What's wrong?" she inquired softly after she took some time to breathe, entwining her hand with his left one to increase the intimacy between them.

"This is..." He averted his gaze, but there was no need for that. Robin smiled understandingly and shook her head.

"Mine, too," she confessed, and his expression was one of surprise. "Be gentle, at least in the beginning."

He took her mouth in a slow, smoldering kiss, pinning his palm that was locked with hers above her head. Positioning himself between her legs, Zoro plunged into her exquisite heat in a long stroke, and he felt her barrier fading away now. Robin yelped faintly at the pain, but then moaned against his mouth at the glorious invasion. He was bigger than she'd imagined, and that fact sent a dark thrill down her spine.

His thrusts was getting faster and harder by the minute, and it wasn't long until Robin felt the impending orgasm coiling in the pit of her belly. His climax was also swiftly building and when he let out a low and animalistic groan, her release exploded within her and screamed out in rapture. The second orgasm was more powerful than the last, and Robin felt that her eyes were about to burst from their sockets as she clung to him. Zoro gripped her firmly, their sweaty forms fused and limbs tangled as his release followed hers once more.

"Robin..." he moaned in her neck through ragged gasps, his palms grasping her hips to meet his. The sound of storm outside was blocked out from their ears for the rest of the night as they kept coming and coming and coming...

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

The blinding ray of sunshine seeping through the window awaked the swordsman the next morning, interrupting his peaceful slumber. Mind fuzzy from sleep, it took him a moment to realize how sore his muscles were that morning, but...it was different than how they usually felt after a long a training session. This soreness felt..._good_ in a way. Huh, weird. What did he do last night? Not that he had any complaints.

Slowly, he tried to move his right hand, only to discover that something soft and warm prevented him from moving it. This puzzled him even more. He lowered his face down to his chest and inhaled deeply. Instantly, he recognized the undeniable, enticing flowery scent of a woman. He knew this scent, it was too familiar for him not to. Needing confirmation to make sure his drowsy mind wasn't playing tricks on him, Zoro spread his hand and raked his palm over a very sweet female backside.

_Oh, damn it! Did I... _Snapping his eyes widely, he bleakly peered at the body sprawled over his form with her raven hair tucked under his chin. Head draped in inky black locks that undoubtedly belonged to none other than Nico Robin. Recollection of last night dashed through his mind, and if he didn't want to wake the sleeping figure beside, he'd be freaking about right about now.

Last night, he and Robin...made love.

Scarlet flushed his face, and Zoro gazed down at the archeologist curled up languidly to his side with a pleased and content smile adorned on her features. She looked so...happy and tranquil in his arms. The raven-haired beauty stirred slightly, and he could feel a smooth leg gliding over his leg and crotch.

Careful not the disturb his partner, he untangled from her tender embrace and hastily began dressing his clothes muttering ripe curses at what happened between him and Robin. He won't deny that last night was amazing, but it was mistake. He vowed to himself that he wouldn't let know how he felt for Robin's sake. He knew if he acted on his desire to be with her in that way, then she would only end up hurt because of him—just like how Kuina did. He can't let last night affect his decision, but it would be impossible to pretend like making love to Robin never happened.

Zoro shook his head at his thoughts, riveting his attention on focusing on trying to get back to Luffy and the crew. And speaking of the Gum-Gum Devil Fruit user...

"ZORO! ROBIN! WHERE ARE YOU?!" hollered a voice from outside. Stepping out of the hut and quietly shutting the door behind him, the first mate's countenance grinned at the sight of his best friend, Usopp, and Franky rushing to them with relieved smiles.

"Luffy, hey," Zoro greeted his captain casually. "You guys found us."

"Yeah, we would've come sooner, but the rain didn't stopped until morning," Usopp told him, gesturing to the clear blue sky. "But how did you guys ended up here, anyway? We were worried sick about you and Robin when we realized you guys took off yesterday."

Zoro rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, about that... It was my fault."

Luffy laughed jovially. "You got lost, didn't you? Shishishi, you're an idiot, Zoro."

"Who're you calling an idiot, idiot?" The ex-bounty hunter pulled his buddy's cheek painfully so it would stretch about twelve inches from his face. He knew the raven-haired boy was teasing, but that didn't stop him from getting a little payback for that insult.

"Hey, Zoro-bro, where is Nico Robin?" Franky inquired, noting her absent presence.

"I'm right here," answered a feminine, velvet tone.

Zoro froze as he let of off Luffy's face. His body stiffened uncomfortably at the sound of her cheerful voice. With the rest of his being becoming numb from anxiety, his mind could only processed two words:

_Holy. Crap._

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Robin stretched out a hand, her fingers seeking for Zoro's warmth. When she felt nothing, her eyelids opened and squinted due the brightness of the sun shining in the room. Shifting her gaze downwards, she was saddened to find that he was no longer in bed with her.

Their lovemaking was vivid in her mind, and the historian smiled happily at how sore her lithe muscles felt in all of the right places. Her first time was everything she dreamt about and more. There was no need to hide her feelings for Zoro any longer. Veil of their secrets for each other erupted volcanically last night, and she glad that they were gone. Now, she and Zoro can take their relationship to the next level.

Noise from outside drew her out of her inklings. Getting out of the bed, she trotted over to discarded clothes, donned them on, exited the hut and greeted her crewmates with a polite smile.

"Robin, it's good to see that you and Zoro are all right," Usopp said merrily.

"Thank you for the concern," she replied, although her irises were still on her lover's back. Why hadn't he turned around to see her? She wasn't expecting him to show her any affection in front of the crew, but he could at least have the courtesy to acknowledge her. Was there something wrong with him? Was he nervous?

"Super!" Franky exclaimed, giving her a thump-ups. "Now that we found you guys, we can head back to the _Sunny_. Nami-sis and Curly Cook are worried sick about you."

As they treaded in the direction of their ship, Zoro remained still distant from Robin. He's defiantly acting strange, but why? Didn't last night mean something to him? Did last night made him self-conscious?

Deciding to test her theory, Robin checked if anyone was paying any attention to her, Robin strode closer to Zoro and extended her hand to his. It bumped into his faintly, but it was enough for him to feel her.

Immediately, he moved from her reach.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

The next two weeks were difficult and weird.

Since their one-night stand, Zoro became the epitome of solitude. Being around Robin was too much to bear, knowing full well what would happen if she get the chance to speak to him. He couldn't even spare a look in her direction, much less talk to her. So many thoughts and emotions were clashing inside of him that Zoro did the only thing he could do right now.

He kept himself hidden.

The crow's nest, which had practically become his permanent residence since that 'incident' occurred, was where he'd chosen to shut himself in. It was only the place on the ship where he had accessed to freely.

Immediately after arriving on the _Sunny_, Zoro requested that Franky to build him a lock for the hatch in the crow's nest and a key that was solely available to him. The shipwright complied, though, he'd inquired why. The younger pirate told him that he wanted privacy when he trains, so the carpenter developed a lock and key for him. That was when he stopped being around the crew—and he hated it. Hated the fact that he felt this way. Hated that _she_ was the one who caused him to feel this way. Hated that be was forced to blockade himself to keep his feelings in check. Hated that he was conflicted with his desire of Robin and his promise to Kuina.

What in the hell was he supposed to do? Relationships within crews always lead to disaster, but he can't pretend that the feelings aren't there because they were and they weren't going away now that was out in the open. He wanted her _badly_, and that frightened him to no end. He never remember wanting a woman this much. He swore to himself that he would do everything and anything to keep his vow with Kuina, so he devoted his entire life into swordsmanship and set out to sea to defeat the greatest swordsman in the world.

Distractions were nuisances he couldn't afford to have.

Besides, being with a woman was something far more complicated than anything else he'd ever done. He was never interested in women, and so had little experience on how to be with one. The only girl he was close to was Kuina, and that resulted in her death. He didn't have time for a relationship. Zoro was absolutely adamant about his focus to get stronger to protect his crew and achieve his goal in life. Taking anything further with the Robin would hinder that.

His promise—his _dreams_—was more important than his feelings.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Like a saint, Robin put up with his avoidances patiently. However, after two weeks went by, she decided it was time that she put a stop to it. He can't hide from her forever.

Since they slept together, Zoro had isolated himself within the crow's nest. He didn't even join the crew during dinner anymore, but instead just come in and take the plate with him to his gym—without so much as glancing at her. When the first three days of him distancing himself from her and the crew, Nami was fed up with him and asked why he was spending his away from the crew. His excuse was this: "I'm working on a new technique."

While the crew believed him initially, Robin wasn't fooled. She knew he was locking himself in the crow's nest because of her. But why? She wanted to talk to him, but Robin knew it'd be best if she gave him time alone to sort out his thoughts. A part of her had hoped that he'd approach her soon about their relationship, but he didn't and Robin had enough of allowing his behavior to go on.

His separation from Luffy and the others depressed them; especially after they saw past the lie he created by the second week. Luffy and Chopper whined and complained about Zoro never being out of the crow's nest for different reasons. Luffy missed his best friend and despised that Zoro isn't around him anymore. Robin understood why the raven-haired captain would miss the green-haired man the most; his bond with Zoro was more like brothers rather than shipmates. Meanwhile, Chopper was worried that Zoro is working himself too hard by training and might collapse from exhaustion. Everyone else were puzzled or pissed off about Zoro's seclusion, but did nothing about it.

Thinking that enough time went by, the female pirate resolved into fixing the problem as soon possible.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"Hey, moss-head! Get your lazy ass down here!" Sanji yelled when the Straw Hats arrived at the next island.

A blur of green leaped from the crow's nest and landed gracefully on the grassy lawn. Zoro straightened to his normal height, letting out a snort of annoyance at the blond-haired cook as he put on his yellow jacket. "You wanna start something, you idiot cook?"

"Knock it off, you two," Nami warned them, her agitated glare lingering on the swordsman. "Nice of you to join us, _Zoro_. Now that everyone's here, let's begin separating our duties for today."

The first mate grunted in annoyance at the navigator. Nami was the only one in the crew that had no problem showing how angry she was at him during the last two weeks. She would shoot him irritated looks and try to lure him in an argument to get answers for bizarre behavior, but he'd brush her off with a scoff. Not wanting to be on the deck with a certain Devil Fruit user any longer than he has to, Zoro spoke up. "I'll guard the ship, then."

"No," the orange-haired woman rejected. "You're going into town with me, Robin, Luffy, Sanji, and Brook to get information and any supplies we need. Usopp, Franky, and Chopper are going to stay behind to guard the _Sunny_."

"Why do I have to go?" He did _not_ want to be in the same group as Robin.

"Because I said so."

"Fine, whatever..." Zoro mumbled grouchily.

"Glad to see you're doing it my way." Nami stuck out her tongue in before pivoting to their shipwright. "Okay, Franky, you and the others guard the ship while we're gone. And remember, only fight when it's necessary. We need stay in this town long enough to reset the Log Pose, so don't do anything that'll force us to get out of the town."

"Got it. Have a super time!"

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!"

Franky, Usopp, and Chopper's jaws dropped at the amount of blood was flowing from the hole the Zoro's right thigh as he was being hurled to ship with the Luffy and Sanji supporting him.

"We'll explain later, just help the idiotic moss-head first. He's losing a lot of blood." Sanji replied as they all boarded the ship and started to carry his rival to the sick bay with the Gum-Gum Devil user.

"Don't stand there gawking like morons! Chopper, you patch Zoro up! Franky, take the helm! We're getting out of this crazy town! Hurry!" Nami commanded urgently.

"Ah, right! You can super leave it to me!" Franky snapped out of trace and rushed over to the rudder as the reindeer doctor ran into the sick bay to treat the wounded comrade.

A few minutes after the panic ceased, Nami sat with Robin on the bench at the front of the ship while Usopp and Brook tried to clean the trail of blood left the deck by Zoro. Swiveling his head over his shoulder, the shipwright decided it be a good time to get answers.

"So, what happened in town?"

"It's kind of our fault, more or less." Nami admitted queasily, nauseous from the sight of Zoro's blood. "In a nutshell, a bunch of pirates were harassing Robin and I. Luffy and the others came to our defense, but then a whole street fight broke out. We ran for it, but some of the pirates followed and tried to shoot us. The guys were doing fine, but more people got involved since they were fighting in the middle of town. Someone shot a gun in Robin's direction, but Zoro knocked her away and hit him instead."

Franky nodded before he jabbed a finger at his two crewmates' outfits. Looking at them now, it made sense why thugs would want to hit on Nami and Robin. The orange-haired navigator was donned in a transparent top with a black bra visible underneath and blue jeans while Robin wore a blue, long-sleeved sweater with a white miniskirt. "It's no wonder that Straw Hat and the others have to fight for you two if you wear stuff like that. Especially you, Nami-sis."

Nami shot him a dangerous look. "You jerk!"

Before the scared cyborg apologized for raising the cartographer's ire, Sanji exited from the kitchen door and bellowed, "Hey! Chopper's done treating the stupid swordsman!"

"Really? Is Zoro okay?" Nami and the remaining crewmates walked over the second floor deck.

Lighting a cigarette in his mouth, the chef puffed out a smoke and sardonically answered, "No, he's not okay. He's an insufferable martyr that needs his ass kicked."

In other words, yes. "Can we see him?"

"He's unconscious, but Chopper said it's okay as long as we don't make don't much noise."

Sanji led the his friends to the sick bay, opened the door for the ladies, and saw that Luffy hovering a barrel of sake over his sleeping best friend as Chopper yanked on the rubber-man's leg in a pointless attempt to stop him.

"Luffy, quit it! Zoro can't drink that!" the reindeer protested frantically.

"This is Zoro's favorite alcohol, so it'll make him feel better if he drinks it!"

"What kind of medical theory is that?!"

"Luffy, you idiot!" Nami stomped over and slapped the back of the captain's crown. "What the hell do you think you're doing? He needs rest, not ale! Put that down and be quiet!"

"You're one to talk..." Usopp muttered under his breath, but she heard still him.

"What'd you say?"

"Ah, nothing! Nothing at all!"

"Guys, you're being too loud!" Chopper exclaimed. "Quit shouting!'

While Nami and Usopp were arguing and Sanji was trying to get the barrel from Luffy with Franky and Brook's help, Robin easily made her way past her clamorous shipmates and to the head of the bed where the swordsman laid. He was slumbering peacefully in spite of the noise, and there was no sign of pain on his countenance as his exposed chest rose up and down. Glancing at Chopper's desk that was covered in medical books and medicine, she saw the green-haired man's yellow jacket sitting on he reindeer's favorite rotating chair along with Zoro's black pants that stained with his blood.

A knot of despair tightened her heart as she gazed down at Zoro. He was hurt because of _her_. He got injured because he protected _her_. He always protecting her, and that only made her love him more.

A small movement from caught her attention, and Robin pushed away inklings for another time as she focused her attention on the Zoro's mouth. It was moving slightly, like he was talking in his sleep. However, she couldn't hear with the rest of her crew screaming at each other.

"Everyone, please stop." Robin sprouted appendages on their shoulders and clamped them over their mouths to silence them. When the rowdy crew settled, she dispersed her them and listened closely to what the green-haired man was saying.

"What's he mumbling about?" Luffy inquired, only to received a whack on from Nami to shush him.

"...in...a..." Zoro's body stirred in the bed. "Kuina..."

"Who's Kuina?" Nami quizzed the crew, a curious eyebrow raised. Luffy and the others shrugged their shoulders in response while Robin couldn't help wonder the same thing.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

The first thing Zoro saw when he woke up was the relieved, dopey grin plastered on Luffy's youuthful visage. "ZORO! YOU'RE AWAKE!"

Sitting up weakly, Zoro greeted his captain with an amused smirk in spite of the numb pain in his thigh. Scanning the sick bay, he noticed that all of his comrades were also in the sick bay. "Hey, Luffy."

The grin widened. "About time you woke up! We were wondering how long you've been out."

"How long was I out for?"

"A few hours. We all just came in to check on you again, and then you woke up."

"Zoro! I'm so glad you're okay!" Chopper cried in happiness. "Are you in any pain?"

A nonchalant shrug. "I'm all right. It's just a flesh wound."

"A flesh wound?" the reindeer repeated with a screech. "You have a hole in your thigh! That isn't a flesh wound! You're lucky that the bullet didn't fracture any of your bones and just went through the tissue!"

Zoro grimaced mildly at the Zoan Devil Fruit user's sharp tone. "Geez, what's the big deal? I've gotten much worse than this before."

"THAT ISN'T THE POINT!"

"Chopper's right, Zoro," Nami chimed. "Listen, if you even _think_ about getting up to train, I'm going to hold debt to you again. I'm not going to pay for your medical bill if you start bleeding through your bandages, got it?"

"Yeah, whatever," he mumbled.

"Lay down, Zoro, you need to rest," Chopper ordered, his tiny hooves braced against his chest. "Don't try to move or your injury might open up, but drink some water before you get dehydrate. You've been unconscious and haven't drank anything since this morning."

"By the way, Zoro," the Straw Hats' thief began, shifting her weight to the left as the young doctor gave him a glass of water. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," he said, chugging down the cold liquid down his throat.

"Who's Kuina?"

The first mate gagged on his drink, spitting onto the floor in a giant shower. The glass fell from his palm and shattered into pieces as it hit the ground. Shocked and alarmed, the crew recoiled from him, whose features became dark and livid like thunderclouds. His onyx hues burned with rage like a demon's uncontrollable fury. Curling his fingers into tight fists, his mouth twisted into a bestial sneer. At this moment, Zoro never looked so terrifying to his companions.

"Where did you hear that name?" Zoro enunciated every word in deadly emphasis. "Tell me!"

Nami jumped at his outraged tone. "From _you_! In your sleep!"

"You're lying!"

"I'm not!"

"Tell the truth, witch!"

"Hey, moss-head!" Sanji stepped to cartographer's defense. "I don't care if you're hurt, simmer down or you're going to be get a mouthful of my foot! I won't forgive anyone who speaks that way to a lady!"

All of the anger drained Zoro's face and was replaced by a blank expression. When he snapped out of his trance-like state, he hung his head down in shame, his eyes half-mast as if he the world's weight was attached to them.

"Sorry, I didn't mean..." he muttered. "Just...sorry."

A thick uneasiness swamped them, the crew still stunned to utter anything back.

Chopper spoke up first. "Uh, guys... I think we should leave. Zoro needs to sleep."

"Uh, yeah." Usopp shuffled his feet towards the door, the tension too overwhelming to deal with right now. One by one, the Straw Hats left the sick bay with one thought in mind:

_Just who is Kuina?_

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

The sound of a small _click _awaked Robin from her slumber, her cobalt orbs popping open to see that slipping out of their bedroom.

_Where is she going?_ Robin pondered curiously, swinging her feet over to the side of her bed and stealthily trailed after her roommate. Surprisingly enough, the older woman found herself peeping through the creak of the door of the sick bay. The light was on, so she could see Nami talking to a pissed off Zoro.

"You can't be serious," the first mate gritted his teeth in frustration.

Nami folded her arms over her chest confidently. "I am and I can! Tell me who this Kuina person is, and I'll forgive for speaking so rudely to me. If you don't, I'm going to charge you 200,000 Berries."

"That's so unfair!"

"It's your choice either way, Zoro. Just one tiny answer, and all is forgiven."

"You're going to die a horrible death one day."

A sly smirk spread on her lips. "Oh, yes, and I'm sure going straight to hell. So, tell me, who is this Kuina?"

The swordsman stood up from the bed and gazed out of the window to the door that led to the back of the _Sunny_. A wax moon was out and high in the night sky, casting a silver glow upon the glistening sea. Nami stared in puzzlement at her friend. He was silent a long while, but when he let out a melancholy sigh, the cartographer didn't need to his face was one of fondness and solemn. The emotion was clear in his voice.

"That person...she was my dream once."

Nami didn't press on when those words escaped him. She merely gazed at his back in gentle shock at his response. And like her, Robin noticed how the sadness and tenderness those words carried. Just what was this Kuina and how could she draw out such feelings out of him?

That question greatly bothered Robin. The more she wanted to know the answer, the more distress the she felt. Hearing those emotions in his words, she guessed the most possible answer.

_Could this Kuina be...Zoro's lover?_

Her heart clenched at that notion, and as much as Robin wished it wasn't true, the idea of it was now implanted into her mind. What was Kuina really to Zoro? She wanted—no, _needed_—to know.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

All was quiet the next night on the _Thousand Sunny_ as Zoro stepped onto the main deck. As he sauntered over to the side of ship that gave him the best view of the moon, a cool breeze wrapped around him like a lover's embrace—the only kind he'd ever allowed himself to have.

He knew he should be sleeping like Chopper ordered him to until his wound was healed, but he was sick of being in the medical quarters all day. Fortunately for him, Robin didn't visit him at all.

The lovely vision of the raven-haired beauty crossed his mind, her lovely smile haunting day and night since they made love. The urge to give in into his desires tempted constantly, but he refused them and reminded himself why he can't be with her. He wanted to so damn _badly_, but it was for the best. For her sake.

If it means be away from her to protect her, then so be. He won't hurt her, like he did with Kuina. He yearned for the warmth and solace that only she could provide. But that won't ease the scar of guilt he in his heart since his dear friend died. Robin deserves better than him. The shame of how he inadvertently caused Kuina's death was still too fresh.

Absorbed in his own thoughts, he was oblivious to her sudden appearance on deck. "Good evening, Zoro."

He flinched a bit at her sweet voice; his form stiffened as he felt her fingers skimmed the cold skin of his shoulder. Zoro cursed at his rotten luck for leaving his jacket in the sick bay and coming out here shirtless. Great, he hasn't been with for more than thirty seconds and he was already feeling vulnerable in her presence.. However, he couldn't deny that he liked how her touch.

"What do you want?" Summoning his courage, he swiveled to face her directly. Taking a step backwards, he created more space between them as she returned her hands to her side. "Why aren't you asleep?"

"I wanted to talk to you," she answered simply with a smile.

"We have nothing to talk about, Robin."

Unperturbed, her pretty smile didn't falter. "You've been acting strange for a while now. Are you all right?"

"Why do you care?"

Her smile broadened as she pressed her soft frame against his rough one, coiling her arms around his neck to bring herself closer to him. "Because I like you, Zoro."

Shock surfaced his countenance briefly, which quickly followed by what seemed like...regret? He closed his eyes for a split second and then opened then again before a serious expression made its way to his features. Grasping her wrists, Zoro removed her arms from him and let them drop to her sides. "I don't believe that."

"What do you mean?" Robin inquired, bewildered and hurt that he pushed her away.

"I'm saying we should forget what happened between us that night," he explained coldly, forcing them out before he could take them back. He had to do this, lying to her was the only way to protect her from him. He told himself again and again that jilting was the best thing for her. "We're crewmates, Robin, we shouldn't be anything more than that. We shouldn't complicate things. You're a distraction to me, and I don't have time for a relationship."

She frowned, eyes hardening like ice at his rudeness. So this was his plan? Talk crudely to her to make her think he didn't have the same feelings she had for him? His excuses weren't fooling her, because she knew he wasn't telling her the truth. Robin hated liars. With her history, it was impossible _not_ to, and she'd learned to recognize a lie when she heard one. "Don't lie to me. We both know that isn't the case."

Damn it, why did she have to be so persistent? Frustrated, the swordsman raked a hand in his mossy hair. "Why do you care so much? You got what you wanted, didn't you?"

Narrowing her piercing glare at him, she felt fury began boiling in her veins. "What's that supposed to mean?"

This was low, he knew, but necessary. "You don't honestly expect me to believe a woman like you could possibly be interested in me, do you? You're nine years older than I am. You've been trying to seduce me for a while for fun, haven't you?"

"The age gap between us means nothing to me," she retorted, insulted at the accusation. How could he say that to her? "I care about you, Zoro. My feelings are genuine, you're just too scared to admit that someone actually feels that way to you, aren't you?"

"You don't know anything about how I feel," Zoro scowled, his voice dark ashes of bitterness. "Just forget about what happened between us."

"No!" Robin objected heatedly, desperate in trying to get the truth from him. "I don't want to. I know you feel the same way I do, so stop fighting it. Stop lying to me, and tell me the truth. What's the real reason? Am I not good enough for you?"

Like a statue, Zoro stood there in dead silence. He can't tell her the real reason, no matter how much she deserves to. He averted his irises from her in shame, unable to answer. He fisted his hands and gritted in his teeth in resentment for his lies; he was torn between the one person he craved for the most and for doing what he decided it was best for said person.

"Is it..." He pivoted his head to her, hearing how hurt she sounded. When he saw pinpricks of tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. Her bottom lip quivered slightly, her voice cracked and she hoarsely asked, "Is it...because I'm not _her_?"

Zoro hesitated, half from fright and half from shock of whom she meant. _Her_. Kuina. He tightened his fists to the point his nails dug in his skin, scared of how she was right in so many ways, but not in the way she meant. Kuina did affect his decisions, but it was not because he yearned for Kuina like he did Robin.

Hiding his self-loathing from her, he bit out, "Yes."

Her painful gasp echoed in the night, a chilly breeze wafting through them. The tension between broke as the blue-haired shipwright climbed out of the Solider Dock System and on the deck, several feet away from where the pair was.

Franky observed them, and something told him that he came at a bad time. Anxiously, he sputtered out, "Uh, hey, guys. What's up?"

"Nothing," Zoro responded, that single word imbued with more meaning than the cyborg could know at the moment. Without glancing at the carpenter, the swordsman stomped to the sick bay to avoid listening the soft sobs of the archeologist as she wept.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"_You lied. You're just another liar!" _– Episode 53

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

**A/N: **Well... This was an embarrassing chapter to write. I wrote lemons before, but I still felt really nervous about it, especially when I get around to post it. T_T Not only that, but I had to cut a lot of stuff from this chapter since it was so long, and did while I'm running low on energy. Sorry if there were a lot mistakes in this. School is wearing me out, but it's to be expected since I'm going to graduate in May. My teachers are such slave drivers, and it thanks to school that I'm starting to feel like the characters in _Sekai-ichi Hatuskoi _at the end of their "cycle". If anyone watches or read that anime/manga, you'll know what I mean. :P Anyway, folks, thank you for waiting so patiently for me, and thank for all of the reviews so far. As always, I'm keeping my promise to update once a month. Hope you enjoyed this embarrassing chapter, and please review. :)

Remember to support the _One Piece_ series by buying the DVDs and by watching episodes on **OnePieceOfficial **or **Neon Alley**.


	5. Chapter 5

**Luffy's Clothes Choice: **Normal red vest with yellow buttons and blue shorts with white fur hemmed at the bottom.

**Zoro's Clothes Choice: **Unzipped, yellow and black jacket with two symbols of crossed swords on each side, light brown pants, and geta sandals. The jacket is yellow in the front and is divided by a white line over the shoulders, separating it from the back, which is black and has a orange-red spirals design, and it's from _One Piece _Opening 10 – _We Are!_.

**Nami's Clothes Choice: **Violet tank top with a imprinted white "3" in the center, a white pleated skirt with two cream-colored rings on the sides, and brown gladiator heels from the Water Seven Arc.

**Usopp's Clothes Choice: **Normal brown overalls with a white sash with no shirt underneath.

**Sanji's Clothes Choice:** Double-breasted black suit with a black tie and a blue long-sleeved, buttoned shirt with stripes underneath. In other words, the same outfit he wore during his first appearance from the Baratie Arc.

**Chopper's Clothes Choice:** A baby blue tank top with "SmiLe" in white on it and red shorts from _One Piece_ Opening 5 – _Bon Voyage_ and Opening 10 – _We Are! _.

**Robin's Clothes Choice: **Dark purple, leather corset with laces in the front, dark purple tight pants, shoes, and long-sleeved fuchsia pink cardigan with black, swirling lines from the end of the Skypiea Arcto G-8 Arc.

**Franky's Clothes Choice: **Purple shirt with green palm trees pattern from his first appearance in Water Seven Arc.

**Brook's Clothes Choice: **Normal black suit with a dark blue cravat tie and black top hat.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"_The fact that you're here means you must have run away. Sad, you really must have no idea how to accept love when it comes your way, do you?" _– Episode 49

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Nami was beyond _pissed_.

She had _enough_ of Zoro's insufferable attitude. She'd tolerated his need of isolation in the crow's nest for two weeks, but it was getting ridiculous now. Normally, the navigator couldn't care less if that workout fanatic spent his time training in his private haven, but everyone knew he was going in there for the wrong reason. It didn't take long for her to realize that the stupid swordsman was blockading himself from his friends; therefore, she called a meeting in the galley in the afternoon on the first day of the third week.

Planted in front of the her crew that sat before her, Nami stated, "All right, we all know why we're here. I hereby commence our intervention."

Luffy raised a hand in the air. "Uh, Nami?"

"What?"

"What's an intervention?" he inquired dumbly.

A vein of annoyance started to pulse on the thief's forehead. "It's a meeting, Luffy."

"Oh. What for?"

"We're discussing how to get Zoro out of the crow's nest and figuring out his damn problem, you moron!" she exclaimed impatiently, her fist colliding on her captain's crown.

"Ow! Why'd you hit me?"

"Luffy, if you didn't know why we're here for, then why'd you come?" Usopp chimed flatly.

"I thought we were having lunch."

"We had lunch a hour ago," Sanji reminded, his seat next to the Devil Fruit user.

"In any case," Nami moved on, crossing her arms over her chest. "We're all sick and tired of Zoro's attitude for the last two weeks. It's obvious that jerk is hiding from us."

"I agree," Franky piped, stealing a fast glance at the raven-haired beauty to his right at the table. After Zoro walked away from her and left her in tears last night, Robin confided in him on what happened and made him promise to keep it a secret from the rest of the crew. The shipwright had to give her some credit for waking up in morning and putting on a brave front for the others, but she's quiet all day. Obviously, she was still numb inside. If it weren't for his promise, Franky would tell their comrades in a heartbeat, but the problem between Zoro and Robin can only be fix by them and no one else. "Zoro-bro's been acting super weird, and I don't like it."

"That moss-head's been nothing but an asshole for a while now. I say we should all gang up all on him, severely kick his lousy ass, and demand answers for his bizarre behavior," the chef suggested as he lit a cigarette in his mouth.

The mechanic grinned at this violent tactic. "That's a great idea! I can use my bazooka to blow him out the crow's nest, pin him down with his weights, and then we ca—"

"Wait, wait, wait!" the panicked long-nosed sniper interjected. There no way in _freaking hell_ was he about to add fuel to the first mate's wrath. "Unlike you guys, I actually _like_ living! Zoro will _kill_ us if we try to do something like that!"

"Yeah, and he's still injured," Chopper added, although Zoro—like always—disregarded the good doctor's order to wait until his wound heal before he started training again.

"I don't care! That asshole deserves it!" the cartographer countered hotly. "What the hell is that jerk's problem, anyway?! Is he suddenly tired being around us? We should ambush him, gag him, and then toss him in the ocean so he can cool that attitude of his!"

Usopp sweat-dropped, dismissing that drastic and incredibly exaggerated idea with a wave of his palm. "Hey, hey, that's going a bit _overboard_, don't you think? _Literally_."

Ignoring him, Nami turned to her best friend. "Hey, Robin, do you have any ideas?"

At the sound of her name, the archeologist snapped out of her trance-like state. Since she's been recalling her confrontation with Zoro all day, she was only partially aware of what the crew was talking about. Faking a cheerful, polite smile, Robin replied, "Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention on the subject, but I think it'd be better if we try something a little more...subtle."

Despite giving her an odd look, Nami pivoted to Brook next. "What about you, Brook? Got anything?"

"Perhaps a little music will try cheer Zoro up?" he proposed, brandishing his violin from his back.

"That's no good. He'll probably just break your bones."

"I'm still up for going with Curly Cook's plan," the carpenter chirped with his wild grin.

"Guys, I don't think any this is going to work," Luffy frowned. "Zoro won't like any of this, he'll just get mad at us."

"He doesn't have to like it," Nami retorted, gripping his vest and began shaking him vigorously. "What's wrong with you, Luffy?! You, of all people, should be the most pissed off at that jerk for avoiding us! C'mon, aren't you angry at Zoro?'

Grasping his navigator's wrists to halt her movements, the raven-haired boy averted his onyx irises sideways, affliction dancing in those dark depths. "I'm not angry at Zoro, Nami. I'm just..._sad_. I do miss him, but I don't think attacking him will make him want to be around us more. If Zoro's having a problem, then I want to help him, but I don't want him get mad at me for forcing him."

Touched by his words, Nami released him from her iron grip and sighed. "Well, we have to do _something_ about this. He can't keep doing this forever."

"How about a party, then?" Luffy recommended with a board grin. "Zoro loves sake, he'll defiantly come."

Usopp rubbed his chin in contemplation. "True, but—hypothetically speaking—what if he doesn't want to come?"

"Don't worry, leave that part to me. Sanji, start cooking! We're going to have banquet tonight!"

"Sure thing, Captain," the blond-haired man complied and sauntered to the counter.

"I'm going to tell Zoro!"

"Wait, Stra—" Franky tried to stop him, but Luffy was already gone. "That moron, he should've listened to me before taking off. How's he going to get up there without a key? Zoro-bro's been keeping that crow's nest locked."

As if on cue, the sound of shattering glass was heard, which was followed by, "LUFFY, YOU ASSHOLE! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING FLYING THROUGH THE WINDOW LIKE THAT?!"

"Uh, should we go check on them?" Chopper quizzed worriedly.

"No, no, let Luffy handle it like he said. I'm sure they're fine," Nami assured with a dismissive wave. "This had better work."

Wanting to make a hasty exit, the historian rose from her seat at the table. "If you'll excuse me, then. I'll be in the library if anyone needs me."

"Of course, Robin, my dear," Sanji swooned. "Your handsome prince will fetch you when dinner is prepare."

"Thank you." She smiled and climbed up the ladder to the upper deck.

"I'll go, too," the blue-haired man said, wanting to take this opportunity to have a talk with the raven-haired beauty. When Franky and Robin entered the _Sunny's_ library and shut the door, the latter sat down on the green cushioned bench that circled the room as the former studied her with an impassive expression. "You ever going to tell me what really happened last night?"

"I did tell you, Franky," she muttered, leaning forward in her seat so that she could rest her elbows on her knees.

"You gave me the short version of it," he corrected matter-of-factly. "You said he lied a lot before he rejected you since he didn't feel the same way, but that was it. I'm here for you, Nico Robin, so it'd be super if you'll tell me the whole story so I can help."

"Thank you, Franky, I appreciate it," she replied with a sorrowful smile. "However, if you were to do anything rash on my behalf, it will make things worse between Zoro and I."

The shipwright inclined his head in understanding. "All right, if that's what you want. Are you gonna try and talk to him again?"

"I want to, but he won't give me the chance if he stays in the crow's nest. I'll speak to him tonight, because there's something I need to know." Her azure orbs hardened, a firm line settled on her features. "Somehow, I still think he's lying to me."

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Although Luffy's plan to get Zoro out of the crow's nest worked after many nonstop pleads from the Devil Fruit user, the latter chose to nestled himself at the furthest end of the aquarium to avoid being near from Robin, who sat uncomfortably with Nami by the table that was built around the dumbwaiter. In front of the women was the idiotic Sanji, who was currently entertaining them with poetic phrases and promises of delicious heart-shaped tarts that he baked for his angels. By the huge tank that circled the room was Franky and Brook, playing a joyous tune in sync with a guitar and piano while Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper danced to the music with food stuffed in their mouths.

"Zoro! Zoro! Look!" Luffy called, his mouth stuffed with food and chopsticks shoved up his nose. The corners of his Zoro's mouth curved into a small smirk at the sight of his captain's countenance.

"Funny, Luffy."

The Gum-Gum Devil Fruit user laughed cheerily and pivoted back to the others. Zoro's smirk disappeared slowly, his irises examining his crewmates before they darted to the door. If everyone was distracted, he could sneak out from there and go the main deck. Luffy and the boys were wrapped in their weird dance while Sanji was drooling over Nami and Robin.

With one last glance, he rose from the floor and swiftly strode to the deck. The night air engulfed him in its cold embrace, the glittery stars illuminating the ink-black sky like diamonds. But what captivated him the most was the full moon that cast a voluminous glow upon everything.

The same moon on the night of his 2001st duel with Kuina.

_Sure brings back memories..._ Nostalgia gripped his heart as he recalled that night in his mind. He and Kuina was fighting with his real swords for the first time, at his rash request in one of his many attempts to finally defeat her. The fought long and hard, both of them dripping with sweat until the very moment Kuina disarmed him and sent his blades flying through the air. Then, she'd implanted the Wadō Ichimonji inches from his head after he fell on his back.

That night, she confided in her fears of never becoming the world's greatest swordsman, due to the sole fact she was a girl.

That night, he berated her harshly for such thoughts, claiming that it didn't matter if she was a girl and he was a boy. He told her that it was willpower that mattered, not gender.

That night was the beginning of their promise and their competition to become to race to see who can become the world's greatest swordsman.

That night...was first time he'd seen her cry, and the last time he ever wanted to see someone close to him in despair.

"_Zoro_," a melodious voice rang in his ears.

Consumed from his previous musings of the past, Zoro twisted to the familiar presence. "Kuina!"

His blood froze when saw Robin, who stood a few feet from him with a faint, somber smile adorned on her lovely features. Damn it, she was the last person he wanted to see. Swiveling towards the ocean once more, he grumpily inquired, "What're you doing here?"

She didn't answer him, knowing full well that he knew why she was here with him. "Is it all right I stay out here with you?'

He scowled. "Do whatever the hell you want."

She slid closely to him, for a few moments, she just stood there and gazed at the calm ocean and the full moon. There was sense of delaying it any longer if he wasn't going to speak to her. To break the awkward silence, Robin softly whispered, "I envy her."

Zoro looked at her with immense shock. Why was she mentioning Kuina?

"This Kuina... I envy her. She's lucky, I wish I had someone like that to love me in that way. I never had that luxury, and I don't think I ever will," she continued, a forlorn smile etched on her visage.

"That isn't true," Zoro replied. "I know it isn't. You have us—Luffy and everyone else."

"Not in that way, though." Robin shook her head slowly, sadly. "I meant as a woman, not as a crewmate."

The guilt coiling within him tightened its grasp around his honorable conscious. "I'm sure you'll find someone sooner or later."

Her sorrow laugh reverberated like a bell. It was beautiful yet dejected. They swiveled to each other, the raven-haired beauty's azure irises swimming with emotions. "I did, but the person I like has his heart taken by another, because that woman is his dream."

On that note, Zoro's honor overwhelmed him. This was too much for him to handle. He needed to tell her the whole truth about Kuina. "I never loved Kuina like that."

Robin gasped slightly, her eyes widening in surprise and bewilderment. "You didn't? But..."

"I didn't tell you the entire truth about Kuina. She is my dream and always will be, but she and I were never like that."

A brief silence, and then, "Tell me about Kuina, Zoro. You owe me that much, at the very least."

Without missing a beat, he did just that. He revealed everything about his past about him and Kuina. How they were both students under his village's dojo, which was run by Kuina's father. How he was determined to beat Kuina and lost to her numerous times. His duel and promise to her the night before she died, and how he came to possessed her family's sword.

When the story was finished, Zoro's frown lingered and his jaw went rigid. It was evident that he was still hurting from an old wound that had cut him deeply. Even after all these years. His dark hues simmered with regret, permitting the female pirate to see the depths of pain for Kuina. Gently, she inquired, "Did you love her?"

The ex-bounty hunter nearly fell the ground at her question, a light crimson flush spreading to his cheeks. "What? No! I told you, Kuina and I were never like that!"

His fervent denial said otherwise. "I believe you when you said that you were never a couple, but that doesn't mean that you never had feelings for her, did you?"

"What the hell are you getting at, woman?! I never liked Kuina like that! Or at least, I don't think I did..." His fluster wearing down, he quizzed, "Why do you want to know?"

"It seems to me you fallen in love with her without ever realizing it." Her tone held a bit of bitterness in it, but also hurt. "I can tell by the way you speak about her, how much you think about her..."

"It doesn't matter, Robin," Zoro asserted firmly. "How I felt towards Kuina doesn't change the fact about you and me. I'm not the relationship type of guy, and I have to focus on my goal and this crew. I can't have distractions, I need to train and get stronger. If you and I were to be together in that way, I don't know if I can forgive myself if anything happens to you."

At this profession, realization dawned on her. This was it. This was the real reason why Zoro jilted her. It wasn't because he didn't have the time or the feelings, it was because afraid of losing someone close to him. A woman, like Kuina. If Zoro were to lose anyone he cared for, he won't be able to live with himself. He would do anything and everything for the sakes of his loved ones, even it means being killed in the end, physically or emotionally.

"I know what happened, Zoro, on Thriller Bark," she admitted, pausing for second so the words could sink into him. "I won't tell Luffy, I promise."

He was obviously startled by this revelation, but her vow seemed to have snapped him out of his shock. "Thanks."

"But, Zoro, please stop shouldering everything on yourself. You don't have to do things like that, you have comrades you can depend on."

His steady resolve did not waver as Zoro's eyes hardened. "I had no other choice back then, it couldn't be helped. I had the ability to stop that bear bastard, and I'll do it again if the situation calls for it."

"I understand, but you're being selfish," the Devil Fruit user pointed out. "You do things like that without considering how we would feel about it."

"It may be selfish, but I don't want to lose my friends, or anyone, ever again. If I had the ability to stop it and didn't do anything to stop it, then I'd rather die than live with that guilt. And Luffy can never find out about it. _Ever_. You know how he'll react if finds out."

"Being a martyr isn't heroic, it's tragic. You shouldn't push away your crew and put this burden on yourself for our sakes."

"If hiding and pushing away my friends is the only way to protect them, then so be it."

Robin felt the tension sparked between as they continue to bicker, however, she knew this was necessary. She understood where he was coming from, because she also did the same thing back at Water Seven with CP9.

Letting out a sigh to soothe her boiling emotions, Robin inched closer. "I understand where you're coming from, I really do. Back at Water Seven, I lied and left the crew to protect all of you. I was prepared to sacrifice anything for my wish in order to keep all of you safe. When you came for me at Enies Lobby, it was then I understood something. Running away and leaving behind the people you care about... That isn't love. Even though you just wanna protect them, shutting them out only hurts them more."

She halted her speech when she saw Zoro averting his face from her, so she shot her hands to his cheeks and forced him to look at her. Lips so close that they could kiss, they both had to fight the urge to smash them together in a passionate kiss.

"It's all right, we won't die. I won't die, Zoro," she added tenderly, her sweet breath puffing at his face. "Don't let what happened in the past affect you now."

Her presence, her words, and the heat of her hips pressed to his were overwhelming. As much as he liked to be with her, Zoro couldn't surrender to his desire for her. Although he knew it was already too late, he couldn't afford getting intimately attach to someone, due to the fear of losing that person. The torment after Kuina's death was enough, he _never_ wanted go through something like that again. Removing her palms, he mumbled, "I'm sorry."

Robin pleaded him to stay, but he still left her there to shed tears.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"Well, that was a waste," Nami remarked the next morning. "Zoro's still acting like a jackass, and now Robin's acting weird, too."

"Maybe they didn't like the party last night," Luffy perused. "Maybe we should try another on—OW!"

The cartographer withdrew her fist. "THAT ISN'T GOING TO HELP, MORON!"

Huffing in frustration, the orange-haired woman rose from her seat and exited the kitchen. She normally doesn't rush eating breakfast, but she wanted to take the chance to go speak to her best friend when the males were eating (minus Zoro, who was, of course currently in the crow's nest training).

Spotting Robin on the swing with her nose buried in a book, Nami walked over to her. "Hey, Ro—"

Before she could finish, Zoro jumped out of the crow's nest and down to the deck. Nami watched how Robin glanced at him, her cobalt irises locking onto Zoro's. The exchange was short, though, since he tore his gaze from Robin and sauntered into the kitchen.

Looking back at Robin, the younger woman saw the hint of sadness in those blue hues of hers. Did something happen between the first mate and archeologist? Now that she thought about, Nami did see Robin leave the party last night to go after Zoro. Something was up between them, and it could possibly explain their odd behavior.

The raven-haired beauty stood from the swing and treaded quickly into the women's quarters. Feeling the urge to comfort her, Nami followed Robin to their room. The historian lowered herself down one of the two red comfy sofas that were placed in the center of the room. Occupying the one across from her, Nami examined the older woman's visage before she spoke up.

"Robin, is everything all right? You've been acting strange since last night."

"I'm fine, Nami. Just a little tired from the party."

"Really? Then was that about with Zoro on the deck? When you saw him, it was like you couldn't wait to get away."

Robin hesitated, and bit lightly on her bottom lip. "Oh, that? It's nothing, really. Zoro and I just had a little disagreement, that's all."

"Really?" the navigator pressed, somewhat suspiciously. After considering the answer, Nami seemed to have fell for it by the way she stood up. "Well, if that's the case. I'm going to give that asshole a good talking to!"

"That's not nescess—"

The door to their room slammed shut before Robin could finish.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"Zoro! Up this hatch right now or you're going to pay a 100, 000 Berries fine!"

Groaning in aggravation, the swordsman set his dumbbells down, toweled the sweat off his torso and used the key to unlock the hatch. Immediately, that devil woman surged from the hole, pushed his butt to the floor in outrage, and glowered with crossed arms.

"What the hell is your problem, you jerk?" she hissed. "Apologize to Robin, right now!"

"For the record, that's my line," Zoro retorted, clambering from the floor and mimicked her pose. "And apologize for what? I didn't do anything to her! Even if I did, there's no way in hell I'm going talk to her."

"If you don't, I'm going to hold debt to you!"

"Go ahead and do it, I'm not talking to Robin about whatever the heck you're so pissed off about."

"Don't play dumb. Robin told me you two had a fight about something, and that's why she's acting weird!" Nami jabbed an accusing finger at his chest. "What did you and Robin fought about, anyway?"

The green-haired man flinched slightly. Robin told Nami they got into a fight last night? Crap. That isn't good. If Robin didn't tell her what they were arguing about, then Nami drew her own conclusion about the whole affair. "It's none of you business."

"Right, sure it isn't," the thief drawled dryly. "The two of you have been acting strange for a while now. If you two got into a fight, then just fix it! I swear, it's almost you two are fighting like a married couple."

Ruffled by the last two words, Zoro embarrassedly shouted, "WE ARE NOT A COUPLE!"

Nami blinked, perplexed. No way... Was Zoro...blushing? If he was, then that could only mean one thing. A sly smirk blossomed on her features, a mischievous glint shining in her copper hues. "Zoro, you wouldn't happen to have a crush on Robin, would you?"

"What? No, of course not! What the hell made you th—" His denial was cut short by her unexpected shrieks of delight.

"Don't deny it, Zoro! It's written all over your face!" she babbled, positively giddy about the discovery. "Is that you've been avoiding us, because you like Robin? Actually, you two were alone for a long time when we went to get sapphire! Something must've happened between you, right?"

"Nothing hap—"

"I can't believe I didn't figure out sooner! I always thought you might have a thing for her since Skypiea when you caught after Eneru attacked her! And that time Aokiji, you were the first to protect her! It totally makes sense now!"

"Don't go jumping to conclu—"

"That's why you're in the crow's nest this time hiding! You were running from Robin, weren't you? All boys tend to avoid the girls they like because they're shy!"

"Who're you calling _shy_?! And I do _not _like—"

"Okay, I've decided! I'm going to help you!"

"Help me do _what_?!" Zoro was incredibly irritated now. "I don't need help doing anything! And if you think I'm going to get on my knees and profess some stupid, undying love for Robin like that stupid playboy, then you got another thi—"

"Don't call love 'stupid', you jerk!" Nami interrupted, wagging a finger in his face. "Listen, I'm going to help you and you're going to like it."

"Don't meddle into another people's business!"

"I have to, otherwise you're never going tell Robin, are you?" She didn't even give him a chance to respond. "No, I didn't think so!"

As Nami proceeded to prattle and squeal about how 'cute' the whole situation, Zoro slumped to the floor in defeat. There was no way he could win.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"I find hard to believe you're attracted to Robin. I don't remember you ever having a crush on someone before. You really are the opposite of Sanji. I did always peg you an anti-playboy. When we go to islands, I see a lot of girls ogled at you from afar, and you never seemed to notice."

Zoro snorted at the girl who was like an bratty little sister to him. "Whatever, Nami. I'm warning you right now, don't go sticking your nose into this, got it?"

"Oh, sure. I understand perfectly," she replied in a voice that told him the complete opposite of what she'd just said. She exited the crow's nest after that, with Zoro in hot pursuit.

Throughout the entire day, he kept following her everyone she goes to make sure she wasn't going to tell Robin what happened in his gym. That conniving devil was going to make all hell break loose on their crazy ship soon enough. Damn her and her devious mind.

"All right, I guess we should decide who's doing what tomorrow since we're going to be at the next island by noon," Nami announced during dinner. Zoro toyed with his food on his plate, uninterested in the crew's plans for tomorrow.

When he shown up for dinner in the kitchen, Luffy and the crew was ecstatic, although Sanji made a snarky comment about him finally re-joining them at the table. Of course, he sat beside Nami to keep a keen eye on her and as far away from the Robin as possible. They were sitting at different sides of the table; she was at the very end with Chopper and Franky while he was at the top between Nami and Usopp.

"According to the map, the next island we're heading to is a Summer Island, and it's has really fashionable stores. And the best part is that we can dock the _Sunny_ on the other end of the island so it won't be detected."

"Does that mean we can all go shopping?" Chopper questioned, thrilled to go find a bookstore.

"Yep!" Casting a sly look at the ex-bounty hunter, Nami whipped her head in Robin's direction. "Robin, you wanna go shopping with me?"

Robin nodded, itching to do anything to keep her mind off her confrontation with Zoro last night. It hurts to think about it over and over again. If she was busy, however, she might not have to. "Of course, Nami."

An audible _clang _caught the crew's attention as Zoro grasped the orange-haired woman's arm. "Hey, Nami. I dropped my fork, help me get it."

"Get it your—Hey!" With no room for protest, he yanked her underneath the table. Nami fixed Zoro with a glare as he released her arm. "What're you doing?"

"I should be asking you that!" he whispered furiously. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Duh, what else? I'm going to ask Robin what she thinks of you tomorrow."

Zoro's next expression was one of panic. _Hell no_. "Cancel it, Nami. Your plan is idiotic!"

She gave him a clever wink. "Trust me, Zoro."

Trust her? Yeah, right...

He let out a breath of frustration as he and Nami popped out from under the table, only to find that all of their dumbfounded friends were staring them. Sensing the awkwardness, Nami broke it with a shrill laugh.

"Oh, I just remember!" she squawked. "I have something I need to do! Ahahaha, isn't that funny? I totally forgot! Zoro, come on! I need your help!"

She hauled him out of the kitchen hastily as the crew stared on. Once they were out of earshot, Usopp said, "Well, that was..._odd_."

Luffy and the others bobbled their heads in agreement, excluding Sanji, who was throwing a jealous fit for not being chosen to help his precious Nami, and Robin, who wore a pained expression as suspicion clouded her mind.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Usopp yawned, rubbing one teary eye as he slouched back to the men's quarters after using the toilet that was located under the staircase that built next to their room. Just as he reached his outstretched hand to the door, the long-nosed teen flinched in surprise when he heard Nami's voice from above.

"Why the hell not, Zoro?" she demanded stridently.

"I'm not ready, I don't what to say!"

Quickly, Usopp rushed behind the foremast, silently thanking Franky for building it so close to their bedroom. Peeking one eye from behind the tree, he saw the Straw Hats' swordsman and navigator descending from the crow's nest.

Together.

Alone.

_At the dead of night_.

_Something's up, _he mused, leaning backwards so the foremast could cover his entire being. He hoped that whatever he and Nami was discussing was distracting Zoro enough so he wouldn't sense the sharpshooter's presence. Trying to hide from Zoro was like trying to hide from a savage pack of wolves hunting for their next meal. If he got caught, he knew he's going to pay hell for it. It was the demonic Pirate Hunter Zoro, after all.

"But aren't you tired of lying to everyone?"

Zoro scowled. "Of course I am, but now isn't the right time."

Lying about what? Usopp's curiosity piqued. He knew Zoro wasn't the type to lie about anything. He was too honorable for that.

"We have to tell them, Zoro. The sooner we do, it'd be easier to settle things with the others. They may be shock at first, especially Sanji, but don't you want to make this work?"

The sharpshooter rubbed his chin in contemplation, inching farther from his hiding place to see the tormented expressions etched on his shipmates' faces. They looked..._guilty_ over something.

After a moment of quietness, Nami softly questioned, "Are you ashamed?"

Zoro waited a few seconds before answering. "No, it's not that. I'm...not ashamed."

"Then, what is it?"

The sniper was astonished. He'd never thought to hear Nami speak in such a gentle tone towards Zoro. When the _heck_ did that happened, anyway?

"I just need more time, okay?"

Nami giggled. "All right, shy boy, I'll give you more time. But don't expect me to wait to long, all right? I'm doing this for you."

Zoro laughed mildly. "Thanks."

The orange-haired woman dismissed this with a mild wave of her hand. "I'm sure I'll find a way for you to pay me back. But don't wait too long, and get your act together. The longer we wait, the worse the outcome will be for the others.

_No freaking way. _Usopp's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe what he just heard and witnessed. It was clear now. It explained what happened between them during tonight's dinner.

Zoro and Nami are _lovers_!

Still stunned from the revelation, he forgotten he was supposed to keep hidden. He leaned too far from the foremast during the whole conversation that he balanced himself on one foot, causing him to lose his posture and fall facedown on the grassy deck.

"Ow!" he yelped in pain, his nose bending from the impact. He was certain that Zoro and Nami heard him, too. _Crap, I'm so dead!_

Lucky for him, hands gripped him from the neck of his the scruff of his neck, pulling him behind him and held him to the foremast before either his friends could spot him.

Zoro's palm went to Shūsui's hilt in alarm. "What was that?"

"Probably just a crow or something. I'll talk to you tomorrow, Zoro. Good night." Nami bid him farewell and ran back to the women's quarters as Zoro climbed up to the crow's nest. When the coast was cleared, the phantom appendages dispersed and Usopp exhaled a relieved sigh.

"You all right?" The sniper didn't have to look to see whom it was, traveling from the kitchen and to where he was on the deck.

"Thanks for the save, Robin, but what are you doing out here so late?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I was reading in the library and went down to the kitchen to brew a cup of coffee for myself. I heard voices outside, so I decided to look through the window and I saw you spying on Zoro and Nami."

"Oh, I see. I'm glad you showed up when you did, Zoro and Nami would've killed me if they found out I overheard their conversation."

"What were you doing out here?

"I had to use the toilet, but then I heard Zoro and Nami talking," he explained. "You can't believe what I heard! Robin, I think Zoro and Nami are seeing each other!"

Robin was taken aback at this. "What...? No, that wouldn't..."

Her words were uttered lowly that the sniper was unable to hear. "Robin, what did you say?"

Having no desire whatsoever to even admit such a thing was possible between her best friend and the man who she'd given her heart to were to be...involved with each other, the Devil Fruit user shook her head at the younger male. "I don't think that's the case, Usopp. Perhaps you might have misunderstood their discussion?"

"Well, maybe you're right..."

"Good night, then." Robin faked a smile as she swiveled her heel to the kitchen. No matter how much she wanted to discard such a notion about Zoro and Nami, her heart cracked from the simple thought that it might be true.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"Morning, Zoro." Nami entered the crow's nest the morning as Zoro finished his training. The first mate put his weights down and toweled the sweat off his muscular frame as she took a seat on the bench. "Okay, we're reaching the next island in a few, so let's go over the plan."

"Nami, I might've agreed to go least _try _to go along with you plan last night for the sake of my own sanity, but don't go overboard," Zoro reminded sternly with folded arms.

The cartographer made an agitated face. "You're only going along with it because I threatened to tell the others your secret crush on Robin if you didn't, but whatever. I don't care how you do it, just as long as you tell Robin how you feel. Either way, if you and Robin get together after all this, you're going to tell everyone. The longer you hold it off, the bigger the impact it's going to make."

"I still believe this plan of yours is a waste of time and effort," he said, donning his yellow and black jacket on. "What happened between me and Robin that made me developed feelings for her is something I'd like to forget. Our relationship shouldn't mean anything more than crewmates."

Nami's brown irises became tender. "Is that what you think, Zoro? That falling in love with Robin was a mistake? That you should pretend that you never felt that way to her?"

"I _can't_ feel anything for her."

"Is it really that bad if you do?"

"Yes." His tone was firm and serious. "I can't, Nami, not with Robin. Not with anyone, in fact."

The thief's smile was subtly compassionate. "I think you should least give it shot and tell her how you feel. The worst she can say is she doesn't feel the same way."

_That's where you're wrong; she'll say the exact opposite. _Zoro wanted to say it to Nami, but chained those words before they could slip past his lips. Nami knew enough as it is, so there was no way that he can tell her the rest of went on between him and Robin. That would lead into something more disastrous. He just needed to go along with Nami's little plan to keep the situation under control. "I don't know about this, Nami. Even if I _want_ to tell Robin, I still can't. Being around her is too awkward."

"No, no! That's a good thing, Zoro." Nami beamed, her hands clasped together in enthusiasm. "Awkward. Girls like awkward, it makes them feel special."

"NAAAMIII!" Luffy called from above deck. "WE'RE AT THE ISLAND!"

"Okay, I'm coming," she hollered back, turning to Zoro as she drifted to the hatch. "Okay, I'll let you know what I find out! If she does like you, you're telling her how you feel! And even if she doesn't, you're still doing it!"

"Hey, wait a minute! That's no fa—"

"See you later, Zoro!" And she was gone. Terrific.

"That damn woman..."

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"Hey, Robin, what do think of this one?" Nami grasped a silky, strapless dress with silts on the sides that would show a woman's creamy thighs. It was decorated in glitter and the center was split so that the only that held it together was emerald broach shaped like a butterfly. "Wouldn't this look good on me?"

A smile played on the raven-haired beauty's countenance. "Yes. However, it's a bit pricey. Besides, this is the seventh store we came to today. It'd be best if we call if a day, for the sake of our little helper out there."

Nami exhaled a disappointed sigh, directing her gaze outside the fancy dress shop they were in. Like all clothing stores on the island, this one had see-through windows to display their trends, so it was easy to see an exhausted Chopper on the bench outside the shop with numerous bags. The poor thing was dragged along with the women to carry their things around town, and now he too tired to walk anymore.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." The navigator placed the dress back on its rack "Besides, it's not my style. I prefer more casual clothes. The only time I wear something as elegant as that is when I find the perfect guy for me, although the chance of that ever happening looks extremely slim."

Robin chuckled lightly. "You shouldn't say such things. You're attractive and young, so there's no doubt that you'll find your soul mate one day."

"Yeah, but how? The only men I'm around are our idiot crewmates, and they're a hard bunch to pick from. Luffy's childish...but he is kind and strong; Usopp is too much of coward and a liar; Franky is too old and kinda perverted; Sanji and Brook are huge perverts; Chopper is too young and he's an animal, and Zoro does nothing but train and take care for his swords."

"My, that's rather harsh, Nami."

"But..." A sly smirk emerged on thief's visage, her plan springing into action. _Time to see what Robin really thinks of Zoro, although I really don't wanna lie to her. _ "If I _had_ to choose, then I guess it'd be that stupid swordsman. What about you? Who would you choose?"

The Devil Fruit user froze, her delicate figure stiffened and her nails involuntary dug into her palms. What Nami just said... Could it be true what Usopp told her last night, about Zoro and Nami being a couple? That wouldn't make any sense, since all they ever do were fight over financial matters. Right now, though, she had a hard time denying the notion any longer.

Instead of receiving the answer Nami wanted, her best friend suggested they should return to the _Sunny_, strolled out to fetch Chopper, who transformed back into his Walk Point. Nami frowned, her plan a failure. And why did Robin look so...hurt?

"Hey, isn't that...?" the reindeer began as Nami exited the store, the trio's irises locked on at a certain green-haired man.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

_Damn, how hard is it to find a bar around here?_ Zoro scratched the back of his head in exasperation. He'd sworn that he went in the right direction that he got from one of the townsfolk to get to a local pub. What way was it again? North, and then take a left? South, maybe? Doesn't matter, he thought. Standing in the middle of town isn't going help find an establishment for rum.

"Hey, excuse me," the ex-bounty hunter halted a young, blond-haired woman before she went past him. The girl paused, her brown orbs landing on him as a coquettish smile crossed her lips.

Mistaking this as Zoro's way of coming on to her, she replied, "Yes?"

"Do you know where I can find a bar?"

Oblivious to how his guide was eyeing him like ravenous cat in heat, the first mate also failed to notice that Robin, Nami, and Chopper were right in front of him, observing him as he spoke with the pretty lady. Glancing sideways, the navigator saw an emotion burning in her best friend's hues. The archeologist was jealous and hurt, a frown plastered on her countenance as watched the scene before her.

Nami growled. _What the hell is wrong with that idiot, flirting with that girl right in front of Robin?! That jackass!_

"Robin, Chopper, take go back to the _Sunny_ ahead of me," she said out loud, marching angrily to Zoro and the other woman. "I'm going to have a word with that imbecile."

"Robin, why is Nami so mad that Zoro's talking to girl?" the young doctor inquired when the orange-haired woman was out of earshot.

"She's jealous," she responded icily that caused shivers to coursed down Chopper's spine. He'd never heard Robin sound so...cold. Whirling around, the historian paced back to the _Sunny_ with her head hung low to hide the anguish she felt. There was evident that what Usopp told her was true. There was use of denying it anymore, but...

_It hurts more than I'd imagined..._

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"Excuse me, I appreciate it if you would leave my friend alone and crawl back from whatever hole you came from," Nami told the girl snidely, her smile tight and sardonic. The blond-haired huffed in offense, sashaying away while Nami began continuously punching the swordsman's in the gut.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, YOU INSENSETIVE BASTARD?!" she shrieked wrathfully.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Zoro yelped, pushing Nami away with his left hand on her forehead. "What the hell's your problem, woman?"

"You were flirting with that girl right in front of Robin! Do you have any idea how that made her feel? You might as well stabbed her heart with your stupid swords!"

"I wasn't flirting with anybody, I was just asking for directions. And why should Robin care if I talk to someone?"

Nami gapped at him with disbelief. "Are you that _stupid_? It's obvious she's jealous, which means she has feelings for you! And now she thinks you like another girl! C'mon, we're going home and you're going to tell Robin how you feel about her, Zoro!"

"Screw that! No!" he shouted fervently as the petite female dragged him by the hand. "To hell with this plan of yours, I quit! Stop sticking your nose into other people's business, Nami! This has nothing to do with you!"

"_Nothing to do with me_?" she repeated dangerously, immensely pissed off now. How can he say that without considering how she and the rest of their crew felt? "You moron, of course it does! It was everything to do with me! Luffy and the others, too! We never get to see you anymore since you spend all your time in the crow's nest to avoid Robin! Luffy misses you, and so does everyone else! That's why you need to talk to Robin, pronto. The sooner you do, the sooner things can get back to normal."

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"Guys, we're back," Chopper proclaimed as he boarded the _Sunny_ with a silent Robin.

"Welcome back, you two," Franky greeted them happily, rising from the deck where he sat with the Straw Hats' sniper. Brook was a few feet away from them, playing a cheery tune on his violin. Since their bouncy captain and lovesick cook was nowhere in sight, one can assumed that Luffy is bothering Sanji for food in the kitchen. "Did you have a _super_ time?"

Noticing that one person was missing from their group, Usopp questioned, "Hey, where's Nami? Why isn't she with you?"

"Oh, she's yelling at Zoro because she was jealous that he was talking to a girl," the Zoan Devil Fruit user revealed innocently, not knowing that hell was about to break loose.

"So it's true, after all! Zoro and Nami are a couple!" the sharpshooter blurted, drawing all shocked eyes on him.

"WHAAAT?" the shipwright, doctor, and musician screamed in unison. Ironically, Nami and Zoro stepped on deck, their hands entwined together that ensued more chaos. While Franky and the boys started demanding answers from the pair, Robin merely stalked back to her room dejectedly, unable to stand the sight of her best friend and Zoro holding hands like a couple.

"Zoro-bro, what's the meaning of this?!" the carpenter bellowed, shaking the first mate vigorously. "Are you with Nami when you're supposed to be with—"

"Do _not_ yell at me, Franky!" he cut him off. "What the hell are you blabbering about?"

"Zoro, did you see Nami's panties yet?" Brook laughed, only to earn him a smack on the head by Nami.

"Don't say such creepy things!" she howled, pivoting to the liar of the group. "As for _you_, Usopp, what are you lying about now? Zoro and I are not a couple!"

In the midst of the roaring, Zoro caught a glimpse of the raven-haired beauty walking to her room. When Nami started chasing the boys around the ship for their ridiculous accusations, the swordsman followed Robin. As she reached for the door, two strong arms pinned her against it.

"What exactly did you tell Nami about us?" he asked through gritted teeth.

Upset, she refused to answer him. Instead, she just opened the door to the room and entered, with Zoro right behind her.

"Damn it, Robin, what did you say to Nami yesterday? Answer me!" She could hear the frustration in his voice.

"Leave me alone," she ordered indignantly. "Go back to Nami."

"Oh, for crying out loud! Don't tell you're buying this crap me and that woman being a couple!" Zoro thundered, grabbing her shoulders and turning around to face him. "I know you had a part in this, Robin! Nami said you told her something about us getting into a fight! What exactly did you tell her about us?"

Robin squirmed in his iron grip, trying to break free. Of all the times he wanted to talk to her, it had to be now, and about Nami of all people. "Let go of me."

"No."

"What can you possibly want from me? You have Nami, don't you?"

"Nami and I are _not_ a couple! There's no way in a million years that we would ever think of getting together!"

"How do I know you're not lying?" she spat. "About you and Nami when I saw you two holding ha—"

"Because I don't want Nami, I want _you_!" Zoro declared torridly. And it was then that heart of the matter lay bare; a pure and agonized truth that Zoro didn't mean to say.

Robin stood there, utterly speechless and stunned. As her heart swelled up with joy, Zoro released her shoulders and averted his gaze elsewhere, swallowing the urge to try and take it back.

Voice thick and strained, Zoro forced out, "What you saw with Nami and probably everything else today was a big misunderstanding. And what I just said doesn't change the fact that I can't be with you, Robin. Go find somewhere else to give your heart to, 'cause it's not gonna be me."

"Zoro, wait." Robin stretched her hand to stop him, but he was already out of the door. Exhaling, the swordsman stared at the floor with clutched fists, remorseful for saying such things to her. But it was for her own good, so he might as well learn to accept it. Lifting his head, he saw Franky and the other boys sitting in the middle of the deck, their bodies and faces covered with bruises, bumps, and swells created by an enraged Nami, who was engaging them in a long, threatening lecture.

"—and if you tell Luffy and Sanji—especially _Luffy_—what you saw, I'm going to butcher you in your sleep!" she snarled. "Understand? Zoro and I are not a couple, and I was only helping him with a problem."

Franky, Usopp, Chopper, and Brook bobbled their heads profusely, begging for forgiveness. Satisfied, she shooed Usopp, Chopper, and Brook off and spotted Zoro leaning on the railing on the second deck. "Hey, Zoro! Did you talk to Robin? What'd she say? Are you two okay now?"

"It didn't go as planned," he mumbled, treading to the deck and to the rope that leads to the crow's nest.

"What? Hey, Zoro, you didn't say anything you might've regret, did you? Hey, don't ignore me!" she called after him as he ascended to his haven. "Zoro, what did you say to Robin?"

"He jilted her again." Franky put his sunglasses on his forehead so Nami could see the stern expression on his face.

Nami's expression was one of astonishment. "Again? Franky, you knew what was going on with Zoro?"

"Yeah, for a while now."

"Tell me what you know," Nami commanded. "After you do, I'm going to—"

"Don't, Nami-sis," the mechanic inserted. "You did enough, and pressuring Zoro-bro isn't going to make a difference. I'll tell you what you want to know, but it's not going to change how that guy feels."

"But why not?" Nami cried, infuriated and confused. "That guy, he won't accept love when it comes his way unless someone makes him! I want to help, for Robin's sake as well for as for Luffy's. He's acting like a jerk and hurting our crew, why shouldn't I pressu—"

"Just stop and think of how this affects him." Franky's hard glare made Nami flinched in fright. "Right now, even if he doesn't show it, he's also suffering."

A lump formed in Nami's throat, her teeth biting down on her bottom lip as she digested the blue-haired man's words. She never once stopped and thought how Zoro was feeling about the situation, she'd only thought about her and the crew. Determination flooding within her, the navigator leveled her orbs with her friend. Before, she wanted to know the situation between Zoro and Robin so she could help them. Now, she _needed_ to know. "I promise I won't butt in or tell anyone, so please tell me what you know."

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"_Well, Zoro, go get her!"_

"_SCREW THAT! NO!" _– Episode 66

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

**A/N: **For some reason, I really don't like this chapter... Anyway, sorry for the long wait, but as always, I've kept my promise for this month. :) School's been crazy because I'm graduating in two months, so it's natural that my teachers are overloading the students with assignments. And thanks to school, editing my own chapters is exhausting, especially since I'm taking a lot of content and revising things in them. What a drag... As a side note, my birthday is on April 1! :) My sister and I will be turning eighteen years old.

For those folks who have not heard the news yet, **Toonami** has confirmed on March 10, 2013 at **MomoCon **that _One Piece _will be airing on **Toonami **later this year. Although no official release date has been announced, many are expecting it to come back in early spring. Also, **One Piece Season Four Voyage Four **DVDwas released on March 19, 2013 and is now available on local retailer stores and online. Remember to support the _One Piece_ series by buying the DVDs and by watching episodes on **OnePieceOfficial**,** Neon Alley****, **or**Toonami**.


	6. Chapter 6

**Luffy's Clothes Choice: **Yellow scarf and blue shorts with a white and dark blue cloud pattern from _One Piece _Movie 10 – _One Piece Film:_ _Strong World_.

**Zoro's Clothes Choice: **An orange jacket with a velvet X on each side of it and circuits running down the sleeves from _One Piece _Opening 9 – _Jungle P_.

**Nami's Clothes Choice: **A orange tank top with a blue star in the center and black pants from _One Piece _Opening 8 – _Crazy Rainbow_.

**Usopp's Clothes Choice: **A long-sleeved black shirt, with his goggles on a forest green cap worn backwards, and white pants_One Piece_ Opening 11 – _Share The World_.

**Sanji's Clothes Choice:** A light blue hoodie with the bottom portion decorated with a dark blue ocean wave pattern and black pants from the end of Thriller Bark Arc.

**Chopper's Clothes Choice: **Black and white stripes short-sleeved shirt and dark gray pants from _One Piece_ Opening 11 – _Share The World_.

**Robin's Clothes Choice: **A white shirt with dark purple leather pants and shoes from the end of the Alabasta Arc. In other words, the outfit she wore when she first joined the crew.

**Franky's Clothes Choice: **A maroon leather jacket with a white fur collar from _One Piece _Opening 12 – _Kaze wo Sagashite_.

**Brook's Clothes Choice: **A long-sleeved, lime-green shirt with black polka dots, orange collar and cuffs, light violet pants and cravat tie, black shoes with a golden buckle on each, and black top hat from _One Piece_ Opening 11 – _Share The World_.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"_This ship has charm. Is it always this lively?"_

"_Yeah, it usually is."_ – Episode 130

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"Good morning, guys!" Luffy exclaimed with a huge grin, stretching his arms in the air and hopping down his bunk bed, clad only in shorts and his torso exposed.

"Morning, Luffy," Usopp greeted with a yawn as he treaded to the door with Franky and Brook. "We're heading to the kitchen for breakfast."

"Okay, I'll go, too!" He sprinted to his friends until Zoro—who he was brushing his teeth by the basin—gripped his wrist. "Ugh, Zoro, let go! I wanna eat!"

Spitting the toothpaste in the basin, the swordsman turned the faucet on to rinse his mouth. "You just got up, idiot, so brush your teeth and get dressed."

His captain pouted, going over to his locker and pulling out a yellow scarf. Once he wrapped it securely around his neck, he sauntered over to the sink, grabbed his toothbrush and began to clean his teeth as Zoro strode for the door. "Hey, Zoro?"

The first mate halted and glanced over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"...What makes you ask that?" There was a hint of something in his tone akin to concern.

Luffy pondered about his response for a moment. He wanted to know if Zoro was feeling better for the last couple of days. Something happened that made Zoro quit isolating himself in the crow's nest and away from his friends. It was almost like having the old Zoro back, but then again...it wasn't. Yes, he took his naps and train on the deck, ate with the crew, and fought with Sanji over petty matters, but Luffy could tell that something was bothering his buddy. Zoro spoke to his crew again, but his answers were short and curt. It was like he was there, but it was also like he wasn't.

"Uh, I don't know," the Devil Fruit user finally replied, grinning sheepishly. "Forget it, the words just slipped out, that's all."

"All right, then." The green-haired man stalked out of the bedroom and decided not to inquire why his best friend just lied to him. He's been with the raven-haired man long enough to know that he was terrible liar.

Luffy sighed in relief, a frown plastered on his youthful face. As much as he desired to spend time with Zoro, he knew Zoro would only push him away. Once he was done cleaning his mouth, Luffy pursed his lips and took this opportunity to cried out, "Zooorrroooo! I miss you! Please go back to normal soon!"

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"All right, Zoro, careful next time, okay? You've been getting hurt a lot lately, so please don't over do it," Chopper instructed the older man that sat beside him at the dinner table, happy that the wound in his thigh was now completely healed.

"Sure thing, Chopper," Zoro answered noncommittally, biting down a large chunk of his pancakes.

"FOOD!" The door the kitchen slammed open and the captain took his seat at the top of the table and began munching down on his plate of pancakes and sausages.

While the Straw Hats were going about their usual noisy antics during breakfast, Nami kept silent and shifted her eyes back and forth between Zoro and Robin, the latter who was still in a daze. At least three days has passed since the whole 'Nami misunderstanding', and when Nami learned the truth from Franky about the ex-bounty hunter and the historian. She hasn't spoken to Zoro, or try to bring the topic up with Robin. She didn't like it her place to butt in, but she wanted to help alleviate the awkwardness between her companions.

"I'll be in the crow's nest if anyone needs me." Zoro rose from his chair and ambled out of the galley, and Nami noticed a pair of azure orbs was glued on his back until he disappeared.

"I'm going, too," Chopper declared, hopping his seat with his empty plate and handing it to the chef at the sink. Trotting over the chair at the very end of the table, the reindeer yanked on the Brook's fancy sleeve to get his attention. "Brook, can you help me carry my herbs out to the upper deck? With the weather so nice today, I want to dry them."

"It'll be my pleasure, Chopper," the musician agreed, taking the Zoan user's hoof in his bony palm and strolling to the sick bay.

"Hey, Usopp! Wanna fish me today?" Luffy questioned, rubbing his now-bloated stomach with his hands.

"Sorry, Luffy, but Franky and I are working on this new invention," the sniper declined with an excited smile. "When it's done, you'll be the first person we'll show it to."

"Awesome!"

"Actually, Long Nose, I have something else I have to do today," the blue-haired man stated. "It won't take me long, but have fun with Straw Hat until I'm done. I don't want you to work on our _super_ project without me."

"Cool! Let's go, then!" He dashed for the door, grasping the sharpshooter by his long nose and dragging him out to the deck while ignoring the latter's painful cries to stop. Once they were gone, Robin pardoned herself from the table and ascended up the ladder to the third deck to tend her flowerbed. When Sanji went to the storage room behind the mast to get more ingredients, the shipwright decided it was time for him to go.

"Well, I'm off," Franky exhaled a sigh and exited the kitchen to the grassy deck.

"Uh, wait, Franky!" Nami chased after him and grasped his gigantic arms to halt him. "I want to talk to you about Zoro and Robin."

Knowing his was coming, he perched himself comfortably on the railing and folded his arms. "I told you everything I knew, Nami-sis."

"I know, but..."

"Have you apologized to Zoro-bro for meddling yet, or talk to Nico Robin about what you know?"

The orange-haired woman shook her head. "I want to, but I don't know how to approach them about it. And what was that back in the kitchen? You don't do anything but help Usopp make inventions all day."

"Oh, that. Well, I'm going to talk with Zoro-bro after he gets out of the crow's nest. Give him some advice and stuff."

"What?!" Nami screeched angrily, jabbing an accusing finger on his torso. "What happened to all that crap about not butting in with Zoro?! You hypocrite!"

"Calm down, I'm not meddling, I promise Nico Robin I wouldn't. I'm just going to give some friendly advice to Zoro-bro," the carpenter clarified. "While I do that, why don't you talk to her?"

Nami contemplated for a moment. "Oh, all right. Fair enough, but you're going to have to use something drastic to get Zoro to talk. You know how stubborn he is."

He grinned reassuringly. "Ah, don't worry about it, Nami-sis! I'm a guy, so I can relate to Zoro-bro more than you could. He'll talk, I'm sure of it. You can _super_ leave it to me!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

In the bathhouse, Zoro turned the knob and cranked the temperature of the sprinkling water from hot to scalding. He bent his head low to his chest, welcoming the pounding spray on his taut muscles. As the searing water sluiced over his shoulders and down his naked back, steam thick as a fog roiled around him, enveloping from head to toe. Bracing his hands against the wall, he shut his eyes and let the vision of a smiling Kuina engulfed his mind. However, the image didn't last long since it was quickly replaced by Robin's lovely countenance.

_Damn it, I can't stop thinking about her! _Zoro cursed in his thoughts. _I have to forget Robin for the next few days. That time is almost coming up and it'd be disgraceful if I think about her and not Kuina on—_

"Whew! It's worst than a sauna in here!" The door to bathroom opened and entered an unwanted visitor. "First you feel the need to trap yourself in the crow's nest, and now you want to boil yourself alive?"

"What the hell are you doing in here, Franky?!" Zoro yelled at the mechanic, incredibly embarrassed and pissed of at the intrusion. "_Get out_!"

"No need to get so flustered, bro," he said with a teasing smirk. "We're both men, after all."

"THAT'S NOT THE ISSUE, YOU PERVERT!"

"Oh, thank you!"

"THAT WASN'T A COMPLIMENT!"

Serious now, Franky leaned against the doorway and flipped his foggy sunglasses on his forehead. "Sorry to bother you in the middle of shower, but I was hoping to have a word with you."

The green-haired man's expression was comical. "_Now_?! Really, Franky, _really_?"

"I'll cut to the chase, then: What's up with you, man?"

Through the steam, he saw the fist mate flinched mildly. "I don't know what you mean."

"It's no use lying to me, bro. You know what I mean."

Zoro grunted in exasperation. "Why do I have feeling you're going to _enlighten_ me?"

"About you and Nico Robin, what's up with two? To be honest, I've known about you two for a while now. It wasn't hard to notice you two staring at each other every time you guys thought no one was looking. But that isn't what I came to tell you. She told me almost everything that went down between you two, and what I want to know is why you aren't together with her yet. You like her, don't ya? Why not go for it?"

"Because I have a promise to keep before I could do anything with anyone, and because..." the swordsman trailed off, his tone quiet and soft. "I don't want to hurt her."

After a lengthy silence, Franky muttered, "Damn. You really care about her, don't you?"

No answer. Instead, he merely twisted the shower faucet and stopped the water.

The mechanic stared at him with disapproving disgust. "Look, I won't tell anyone, and I won't stick my nose in your business, but..."

"But?"

"I think what you're doing now is hurting her more than anything else ever could."

Zoro absorbed the truth of that information with an intense frown. "I can't, Franky. I just _can't_."

"Yeah, Nami-sis told me that you said the exact same thing to her. So, what're you gonna do? You're pretending that the bubbling romance between you and Nico Robin isn't there? Ignore it, the tension? Yow know that's wrong and dangerous, because all hell is going to break loose sooner or later. In my opinion, I think you're just making excuses. Sure, I don't know the reasons behind your decisions, but choosing to keep yourself away from her isn't a good thing. You say you don't want to hurt, but you're already doing that not jut to her but yourself, too. If you don't want to hurt Nico Robin, then take responsibility and make her happy. See where your relationship with her takes you before you give up something you haven't even started, you copout. Right now, both you and Nico Robin are acting like a bunch of idiots."

"If you're trying to make me feel better about all of this, feel free to stop anytime."

The older man chuckled faintly. "I didn't expect you to any _super_ heart-to-heart talks with other guys, so this me, showing you that I care."

"I'm touched, now get the hell out."

"Hope you'll take my advice." Franky saluted the green-haired man and climbed down the ladder back to the library. Once he was down, the cyborg exhaled a tired sigh and scratched the back of his head frustration. "How much longer will it take him to wake up?"

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Meanwhile, in the ladies' bedroom, Nami rubbed the sides of her teacup filled with lukewarm Earl Grey tea. She and Robin were having afternoon tea with some freshly baked heart-shaped chocolate macaroons with fruits decorated beautifully with whip cream on the top and middle—courtesy of Sanji, of course.

"Your tea is going to get cold." Robin's voice snapped the younger woman out of her trance.

"Oh, yeah..." Nami took a tiny sip of tea before she set it down on the table that stood between the sofas. "Um, Robin... Can I tell you something?"

"Of course, you can tell me anything, Nami" Her best friend flashed a feigned smile that made the thief's heart clenched.

Poor girl. Not being able to be with the man you want must be really painful for her. "Well, I really don't know how to tell you this, so I'm just going to come right out and say it. Robin, Franky told me about you and Zoro."

Robin's blue orbs expanded broadly, her mouth agape by the frank confession. When she collected herself after a few moments, her façade dropped and her countenance become sorrowful.

"I see..."

Nami pressed her palms together in an apologetic gesture. "I'm sorry, it's just that after the whole misunderstanding between me and Zoro, I demanded Franky to tell me everything he knew."

A phantom appendage blossomed on the cartographer's shoulder, lightly patting her crown forgivingly. "It's all right. I knew you'd find out eventually. You're a clever girl, after all."

"So...you're not mad?'

"Of course not."

The orange-haired woman beamed. "Thanks so much, Robin! And don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"I'll appreciate that."

"I know I shouldn't be asking this, but is there anything you haven't told Franky that you might want to tell me?"

Robin diverted her eyes from her companion, perusing on whether or not to tell her the truth. It was true that she kept the things from the cyborg, like how she and Zoro made love and anything that contained Kuina. Now that Nami knew about her and the swordsman, the archeologist decided might as well tell someone about her one-night stand with the first mate. Besides, it'd be nice to talk about it with a fellow girl. "There are some things that I can't tell you since it's not my place to, but I suppose I could tell you this: I slept with Zoro."

Nami's eyeballs looked like they were about to fall from their sockets at the news. "_What_?! Really?!"

"Yes, it's the night we got caught in the storm and took shelter in a hut."

"The day after he started acting so weird!" Nami concluded with a snap of her fingers.

Robin's cheeks flushed mildly. "Yes, it's the exact reason why he's been avoiding me. You must know Zoro's reasoning behind it, don't you?"

"Never mind that!" Her volume rose with each word, excitement shimmering in her coppery irises. "You and Zoro had sex? Was it your first time?"

The raven-haired beauty's visage flared a darker shade of crimson. "Yes to both."

"I'm so happy for you!" Nami jumped from her sofa to Robin's and embraced the older woman in congratulations. When she recoiled, there was mischievous glint shining in her irises. "So...how was he?"

"Nami!"

"What? I'm just curious!"

"Well..."

"Oh, come on! We're both girls here, give me details!" Nami squealed, extremely exuberant. "I'll keep it to myself, I swear!"

"It was amazing..." A content smile blossomed on the historian's lips as she recalled those ardor and sweet moments that she shared with Zoro. "He was so gentle and passionate. We were both scared at first, but the way he touched me made it obvious that he really cares for me. Zoro was trying his best not to use too much force to hurt me, and I thought it was sweet and considerate of him. You don't meet many men like that in a lifetime."

The cartographer grinned merrily. "Wow, you must really like Zoro."

"Mmm, I do, but with the way the things are now, I don't think we'll ever be able to—" Robin's sentence was left unsaid as the orange-haired woman pressed a stern finger on her friend's mouth.

"Don't say stuff like that, Robin," she asserted. "Zoro's an _idiot_, so you have to talk to him and make it clear where both of you stand. Have you talked to Zoro since you guys slept together?"

"Yes, but we always end up fighting. That, and with Zoro walking away."

"Then try again, but this time, don't let him get away. Avoiding each other is only going to make the situation worse. If you two like each so much, then you should be together."

The historian contemplated on the young lady's words. Nami was right; she needed to know where she and the first mate stand before things worsen between them. But how could she? She'd been upset with Zoro for jilting her and erecting a wall to separate her from him. Angry that he was running from her without giving their newfound love a shot, because his noble reasoning for refusing her based on something that happened in the past. However, the desire to speak to him again overwhelmed her. She hated how distant he acted around her, treating like she didn't exist. His actions not only affected her but the whole crew, so it was time they settle their issue once and for all.

Determination shimmering in her cobalt hues, Robin declared, "You're right, Nami. I have to know where I stand with him, but I don't know how to approach him about it."

The thief patted her comrade's back in encouragement. "Don't worry, I know you can do it, Robin! And if you need help, then just tell me."

"Thank you, Nami."

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

When the crew arrived at the next island in the afternoon, Zoro took off into town without bothering to listen to Nami and her orders of splitting the Straw Hats into teams to restock their provisions. It was quite odd. Normally, Luffy was the one that wandered off first.

Robin was grouped with Chopper and Franky, their team in charge of purchasing more medical supplies and tools they needed. By sundown, all of the Straw Hats returned home, with Zoro being the last. That wasn't shocking to anyone, however, as the swordsman boarded the _Sunny_, the expressions on his companions' countenance was one of bewilderment and curiosity. It wasn't the fact that Zoro actually managed to find his way back to their home before one of them was told to fetch him; it was the astonishing fact that Zoro came back with a large bag in hand and not his regular mug of booze. Just like how much Luffy loved meat, Zoro was obsessed with drinking alcohol. He would, on all occasions when they go to an island, buy sake or rum and bring a bottle of it back with him at the end of the day.

Agitated with the way his shipmates were staring at him, Zoro quizzed, "What's with those looks?"

"What's this?" Luffy questioned, sliding in front of the first mate and reaching out a hand to snatch it.

Zoro smacked his palm away before his rubbery fingers could graze it. "None of your business, Luffy. Don't go digging around in this bag."

He stalked to the men's quarters after that, leaving his friends bewildered. Robin studied him throughout the evening, noting how focused his mind was on something. She didn't know what was going with him, but it seemed important to him, judging how he spent his time at dinner polishing the Wadō Ichimonji than eating. He didn't even try to stop the Gum-Gum Devil Fruit user from stealing his food and yell at him for it.

When his plate was empty, Zoro left the kitchen and went to start his guard duty for tonight. It was then that Robin bloomed an eye outside the galley door to see him carry a miniature shrine up to the crow's nest.

Strange. Why would Zoro need a shrine?

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"Good morning, guys!" Luffy greeted his buddies the next morning. As usual, his friends all said the same thing to him, except for Sanji, who was already in the kitchen preparing a scrumptious breakfast; Chopper, who sleeps in the sick bay since he considered it to be his own personal room; and, of course, Zoro, who was... Well, that was anyone's guess. "Where's Zoro?"

"Don't know. He was up before anyone else was," Franky informed.

"Huh? Oh, then he must in the kitchen." Luffy galloped to the kitchen in a heartbeat. Bursting past the door, he swiftly greeted his the rest of his crew, and glanced around to once again see that his first mate was not there. He swiveled to his chef for answers. "Hey, Sanji, have you seen Zoro?"

"Moss-head? Nah, haven't seen him since I woke up."

"I saw Zoro at the front of the ship," Nami chimed. "I was coming out from the bathhouse when I saw on the third deck. He's sitting on the bench by the helm. It's kinda weird; he was just sitting there and staring at the clouds."

"That's not like him," Usopp pointed out, occupying the seat across from her. "Maybe he's sleeping?"

"Probably."

"I'll go get him," Luffy volunteered, swallowing down the remnants of his meal. "Sanji, seconds!"

"Yeah, yeah. Just get that dumbass before his food gets cold." The martial artist watched as him rushed out of the kitchen to fetch their missing crewmate. Sauntering from his spot behind the counter to pick Luffy's plate from the table, the blond-haired man let out a sigh. "So, what's up with Luffy? He's acting more annoying than usual lately, especially with Zoro."

"Luffy is trying to get Zoro to talk to him," Brook replied matter-of-factly. "I've seen him attempting to speak with Zoro since he left the crow's nest. Not that I have eyes to see with, anyway! Yohohoho!"

"Brook's right," the sharpshooter said, poking at one of his sausages on his plate. "It's obvious Luffy's trying to figure out what's wrong with Zoro. I want to know, too, since I'm pretty curious myself."

"Then you can help me!" the raven-haired man told him, entering the kitchen with a wide grin on his face. "I have a plan I wanna try."

"Hey, where's Zoro?" inquired Chopper, noting that the green-haired man wasn't anywhere near the Devil Fruit user.

"Zoro said he wasn't hungry," Luffy answered with a frown. "Anyway, I know what to do to make Zoro happy again!"

"Do tell," Nami prompted, her tone half bored.

"I'm gonna make him play with me!"

The crew sweat-dropped at the childish scheme. "You think that's going to work?"

"Yup! Zoro gives in after I ask him a lot!"

"Your so-called brilliant plan is to irritate him?" Sanji mused. "All that's gonna do is make him chase you around the ship."

"Yeah, I know, that's part of the plan. It'll be like playing tag! Trust me, it's gonna work! We'll have the old Zoro back in no time!"

"Oh, then I'll help, too!" the young reindeer chimed eagerly.

Brook raised of his hand. "Me as well!"

"How about you, Usopp?" Luffy asked the long-nosed sniper.

"Uh, I think I'll sit this one out," he responded with a frightened expression. "I have the 'don't-wanna-get-killed-by-Zoro' disease."

"All right! Come on, Chopper, Brook!" And with that, the lively trio skipped out of the kitchen.

"They're dead," Franky stated casually, taking a swig of cola.

No one could argue against that. "Yeah."

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Zoro stared at the drifting clouds in the clear blue skies, his left palm gripping the Wadō Ichimonji's hilt in his lap. He almost couldn't believe that it's been over eight years since his 2001st duel with Kuina happened on this very day. Unconsciously, his grasp around the Wadō's hilt tightened so much that his knuckles turned white. He unsheathed the blade from its scabbard, the beautiful metal gleaming in the sunlight as he lifted it toward the heavens.

_Can you see me, Kuina? _Zoro grinned broadly as he pictured her spirit smiling down at him. _It's been a while, hasn't it? _

Since his dear friend passed on, it's been tradition for the swordsman to pay his respects to her on the day they made their promise and the day she died. It was a pattern he done for the last eight years. On the day that their vow was made, he'd gaze at the sky and think about her. And tomorrow, he will do it again while he pray for his deceased rival. He did this for her and himself, needing to feel her presence and know that she was watching over him like a guardian angel. It was his way of seeing to his old friend after so much time has gone by, and though others may think it's crazy for talking to someone who'd died, those two days meant the world for him.

Though she gone was physically, her spirit and dreams were with him—in the Wadō Ichimonji. Her father and his sensei, Koshiro, entrusted the sword to him after Kuina died, his exact words being this: "I leave her spirit and her dreams in your hands."

A warm breeze wafted through him as Zoro put his beloved sword back in its sheath, inhaling the crisp air as he averted his eyes from the Ichimonji and to the sky. Two seconds later, he found his view blocked by his best friend's youthful face hovering above his face and nearly giving him a heart attack.

"Luffy, what the hell are you doing?" Zoro pushed the raven-haired man's face from his, stumbling off the bench to see that he was standing behind him with Chopper and Brook. "What do you guys want?"

"We want you to play us, Zoro," he answered with a dopey grin.

"I'm busy."

The captain pouted. "You liar. You weren't doing anything, you were just cloud-watching. C'mon, Zoro, play with us!"

"No."

"What're you doing, anyway?"

"That isn't any of your concern," Zoro muttered in frustration. There was no way in hell was he going to tell any of his crewmates what he was really doing. He'd always pay his respects to Kuina alone, and that wasn't going to change just because he was in a crew. "Luffy, you, Chopper and Brook can play with each other, can't you? Leave me alone, got it? Today isn't a good day for me."

Luffy sighed deeply. "You leave me no choice, then."

Zoro raised a puzzled eyebrow, crossing his arms over his torso. "What do you mean by th—HEY! GIVE THAT BACK!"

Snatching the Wadō Ichimonji from the green-haired man's palm, Luffy ran like the wind with the doctor and skeleton in tow. "IF YOU WANT IT BACK, YOU HAVE TO COME AND GET IT!"

Zoro chased after the idiots in full throttle; pondering on a hundred different ways he was going to kill them for taking his sword. "LUFFY! GIVE MY SWORD BACK BEFORE I SLICE YOU INTO A MILLION PIECES!"

The Devil Fruit user laughed as he made it to the second floor, right outside the kitchen. With Zoro right behind him, there wasn't much room to go anywhere, so he tossed the sword over the railing and gave it to Chopper. The swordsman's eyes bugged out when he saw this, shooting an agitated glare in his best friend before he leaped over the railing to start pursue the reindeer.

"CHOPPER! DON'T MAKE ME STAB YOU!"

"ZORO'S SCARY! ZORO'S SCARY! ZORO'S SCARY!" the poor doctor cried as Zoro hunted the Zoan user with a predatory expression etched on his countenance.

"Excuse me!" Brook came to Chopper's rescue by grabbing the Ichimonji from his hooves and jumping off the ship, chuckling as he ran on the water. "Yohohoho!"

"BROOK! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Zoro yelled furiously.

"But I'm already dead! Yohohoh—OUCH!" The musician fell into the ocean as Zoro jumped into the water to save his precious sword and his annoying, drowning shipmate. It was his responsibility, after all, since he was the one who threw one of Franky's cola bottles at Brook's skull, the cyborg coming on the deck from the kitchen to see what was the ruckus about.

"You're such a pain in the ass!" The first mate tugged the skeleton by the scuff of his neck back on the _Sunny_. Stomping over to the two troublemakers, his menacing figure leered over down as Luffy and Chopper cuddled together in fear. "As for the two of you..."

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"—and if you dumbasses do something like that _ever_ again, I'm going to tie you guys to the mast and throw you overboard, got it?" Zoro completed his tirade to his captain and his accomplices, the trio now covered in dark bruises and swelling bumps that they received for irking the ex-bounty hunter.

Luffy, Chopper and Brook nodded numbly. "Yes, sir."

"Good." With nothing more to say or do, Zoro stalked back to the front of the ship.

Once the enraged demon was out of sight, Franky, who's been watching the scolding from the sidelines, shook his head in disbelief. "So, what now, Captain?"

"Back to square one!" Figures. Luffy never did give up easily.

The shipwright exhaled a fatigued sigh. "It's your funeral, Straw Hat."

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"All right, everyone, we've docked at port. Since it's noon, everyone should come back to the ship before sundown. Remember to be careful and don't draw attention," Nami ordered as the crew gathered around her for their tasks. It was mid-afternoon by the time the Straw Hat Pirates laid anchored at the next island. "I already handed out your allowances, so use them to get rations. Sanji, take Usopp and Brook to buy food. Robin, Zoro and Chopper are with you for medicine. Franky, Luffy, you're staying with me on the _Sunny_. Everyone got that? You can do whatever you want with the leftovers."

Tuning out Luffy's wining, Nami directed her gaze at a solemn Robin and Zoro. She paired them together in hopes of them sorting out their relationship. They needed to talk—they _have_ to. Nami could only hope that her plan doesn't go to waste.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"Robin, look! A bookstore!" Chopper cheered with glee, dashing inside the shop without waiting for the historian and the ex-bounty hunter to catch up.

"He's lively today, don't you think?" Robin smiled at Zoro, attempting to engage in a simple conversation. It's been over an hour since they set out to collect supplies, and he only spoken one word to her throughout the whole day. He wouldn't even spare a single glance at her. Besides his usual aloofness, the first mate appeared to be deep in thought about something...or _someone_.

Zoro's only reply was a grunt as they stood in front of the bookshop. The raven-haired beauty took a step forward towards the entrance, but then paused when she noticed that he made no move to follow.

"You're not coming in?"

"No."

Robin wondered if she should take this opportunity to speak with him, but when she heard Chopper's enthusiastic voice calling her from inside, the archeologist decided it was best for another time. She strode in and found Chopper flipping erratically through an archeology text.

"Robin, look! I found this for you, I thought you might like it." The young doctor held the tome in his hooves.

She smiled, accepting the book gratefully. "Thank you, Chopper. You seemed rather absorbed in it, did you see anything you like?"

"Yeah, the book talks about an ancient civilization that had lots of strange herbs and tools to make medicine."

"Oh? Perhaps we can read it together, then."

"I'd like that." Chopper spun around to the bookshelf he was at and pulled out a reddish-brown leather book. "I also found something Zoro might like. This one is about swords and techniques. Do you think he'll like it?"

"I'm sure he will."

The reindeer let out a relieved breath. "That's good, I wanna apologize for bothering Zoro earlier today. I hope he still isn't angry with me."

"Well, shall I get him for you? He's waiting right outside."

"Really? Thank you!" Chopper beamed as Robin chuckled faintly. Pivoting her heel, she strolled over to the door, opened it, and poked her head outside. Immediately, she saw that Zoro was gone.

He'd left her behind without saying a word.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Zoro knew he was in for a long and loud ranting from Nami when he decided to sneak off into town to purchase a few things without telling his companions. By the time he was done, the sun was nearly below the horizon and he was now going back to the ship as he reviewed the materials in his shopping bag. He had to make sure he didn't leave anything out, because tomorrow was an important day for him—the day that Kuina died. A proper mourning ritual can't be done without the correct items to go along with it, after all.

"Incense sticks, food offerings, flowers, sake. I think that's every—"

"ZOROOOO!" a familiar, incredibly noisy pirate called from a distance. "WHERE ARE YOUUUU?!"

"_Luffy_." Zoro scrubbed a hand over his face in exasperation as he spotted him scanning in the middle of the street, oblivious to the fact that bystanders was looking at him oddly. He was drawing attention to himself as usual. "Hey, Luffy, I'm over here!"

The rubber-man locked onto him, and grinned broadly. "Found you!"

The distance between then closed as Zoro sauntered over to his captain, their gait falling into synch as they journeyed back to the _Sunny_.

"Hey, what's in the bag?" Luffy inquired curiously. "And how come you disappeared when you were out with Robin and Chopper? Chopper's been worried that you got kidnapped or something. I was kinda worried, too. I thought you might've run away."

The swordsman scoffed. "Don't be an idiot, I wouldn't leave you and the others behind. I just had to get some stuff. What made you think I would run away?"

"Well, it's just that... You don't seem like yourself lately. You've been grumpier and really quiet. It's like you don't like being around me or any of the guys anymore."

"That's your imagination. I have a lot of my mind right now, so I need time to myself." Zoro hated lying to his best friend, but there was no way he could tell Luffy what was going on with him at the moment.

"Really?" Luffy folded his arms over his torso and titled his head to the side in doubt. "That's all?"

"Yes, Captain."

"So you still like me, right?"

"Right."

"Awesome!" Luffy's grin widened as they boarded the _Sunny_. Hearing the two men on deck, the others exited the kitchen and gathered around them.

"Zoro, there you are!" Nami planted her hands firmly, a stern frown etched on her visage. "Where have you been? Robin and Chopper told me you ditched them in town! You're such a jerk! Tell someone before disappearing like that!"

"Yeah, whatever." Zoro strolled past her and straight to the men's quarters. However, a blur of blond came springing into his path.

"Hey, crappy swordsman, don't talk to Nami like that." Sanji stood in front of him. Zoro merely glared at the cook before brushing past him in a brusque manner.

"Hey, Zoro, you never told me what's in the bag!" Luffy hollered at him, but the entrance to the boys' room was already shut.

"What's up with that moss-head?" Sanji grumbled, lighting a cigarette. He knew Zoro long enough that he would never pass a chance for a fight with him. "He's acting weird."

Nami shrugged her shoulders in boredom. "Just forget it, guys."

The captain rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I wonder what Zoro got in that bag, though."

As the crew walked to the kitchen for dinner, Robin couldn't help but wonder the same thing.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

The next morning, Zoro roused from his slumber at the same time as the sun. Today was the day, so after he was done with his daily training, he'll pay his respects to Kuina. It was hard to believe that it's been over eight long years since she passed away from this life. How long has it been since he last prayed at her grave in Shimotsuki Village? Well, no matter. What was important that he took this time to remember Kuina and pray for her happiness in the afterlife.

Tiptoeing to the balcony at the rear of the ship, Zoro placed the shrine down, set up the offerings on it, and sat down. He knew his crewmates will wonder where he was and will search for him, but if they were smart, they'll read atmosphere around him and leave him be.

Before he could clasp his hands in prayer, the door from the aquarium swung open and stepped out another unwelcome visitor. Pissed off, he swiveled around, mouth parted and ready to spill threats and other obscenities to the person. However, the sight of Nico Robin's gentle expression made Zoro froze.

What was she doing here? And why?

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but I couldn't help noticing that you seemed...troubled lately," she explained. "Are you all right?"

He grunted, twisting his head back to the shrine. She was the last person he wanted to be alone with, today of all days. "Leave, now."

Instead of obeying him, the archeologist knelt beside him, her thin and delicate fingers caressing the smooth surface of the wooden shrine. Blue orbs turned to him, seeking answers to the question that raced through her mind all day. "This is an altar for praying to the deceased relatives and loved ones, correct? I've read books about these types of shrines."

Much to her surprise, he nodded at her. "Yeah."

"Who's it for?" Robin pressed on her, the volume of her tone dropping to a low whisper.

"A old friend." Why was she asking him this? And more importantly, why was he telling her?

"For her...that girl, Kuina," Robin concluded, the bitterness in her voice shocking even her.

Zoro detected the emotion laced in her words, but he ignored it. "Yeah, it's the anniversary of her death. I pray at her grave since the day she passed away, and since I'm not in my hometown, I bought this altar for Kuina."

Robin smiled sadly. "That's thoughtful and sweet of you. She's lucky to have such a devoted man thinking about her so often and going through all this trouble to pay his respects to her."

"It's not a big deal."

"Others would think differently." Robin studied the flowers decorated on the altar, recognizing them as Casablanca lilies—the flowers of purity. Beautiful and fragile, much like her tender heart and the feelings she carried for the man next to her.

When a moment of silence passed, Zoro found his courage to talk to her again. "Look, I'd appreciate it if you—"

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," the raven-haired beauty assuaged as she rose to her full height. "I'll keep the others way from this spot, so you can do want you want to do."

He arched an eyebrow suspiciously. "Why?"

"Because I'd do anything to help you." Simple words, but they were imbued with so much ardent emotions that reflected in her shimmering irises. Astonishment emerged on his features before she left the balcony.

True to her word, she kept the crew from getting anywhere close to him for the rest of the day. Even when Luffy searched for him to announce that dinner was ready, Robin stopped the rubber-man from disturbing Zoro. Zoro couldn't express his thanks to her earlier today, and as he gazed at the luminous full moon late at night, an idea sprung to his mind.

It was midnight already, so the anniversary of Kuina's death was over with. Luckily, the crew was tucked in bed and asleep, so now was the perfect chance to give Robin a token of his appreciation. It was the least he could do, after all.

_I'll catch up with you another time, Kuina._ Zoro spared one last glance at the heavens before grasping a certain gift from the altar and treaded towards the woman's quarters.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

The sound of crashing waves awakened Robin from her slumber, the rays of the rising suns pouring through the single window in the girls' bedroom. Drowsily, she popped herself on her elbows and examined her surroundings, cobalt eyes landing on her sleeping roommate. Nami was on her side, a greedy smile played on her lips that told Robin that the thief was having a beautiful dream of money. As her optics drifted around the room, something caught her attention.

In the middle of her bed was a single Casablanca lily.

Heart soaring with happiness, Robin lifted the flower to her nose and inhaled its sweet aroma as her lips curved into a delighted smile.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"_You don't have to worry, because I won't tell anyone."_ – Episode 318

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

**A/N: **Hiya, folks! Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long. :) Been caught up with school and other stuff. Only two more weeks of school before I graduate, so please be patient a little longer, everyone. Once I'm done, I'll try to update more frequently. Sorry if this chapter has a lot of mistakes. I was in a rush. Two projects for my English are due at the beginning of May, so my schedule has been tight, but I wanted to keep my promise for this month.

Oh, and good news, folks! If you haven't yet, it's been announced that _One Piece _will air on **Toonami **on May 18, which also happens to be the day of graduation ceremony! :) They have decided to start at Davy Back Fight Arc (also called the Long Ring Long Land Arc). Remember to support the _One Piece_ series by buying the DVDs and by watching episodes on **OnePieceOfficial**,** Neon Alley****, or ****Toonami**.


	7. Chapter 7

**Luffy's Clothes Choice: **Normal red vest with yellow buttons and blue shorts with white fur hemmed at the bottom.

**Zoro's Clothes Choice:** Simple black robe with his green haramaki at the end of the Alabasta Arc.

**Nami's Clothes Choice: **A light blue shirt with sleeves stretching to her elbows, brown boots, and a mahogany short skirt with golden rings on the sides from the end of Enies Lobby Arc.

**Usopp's Clothes Choice: **Normal brown overalls with a white sash with no shirt underneath.

**Sanji's Clothes Choice:** A white, short-sleeved shirt with red outlining the collar and ends of the sleeves, and black and red checkered pants with black shoes from _One Piece: Romance Dawn Story_ and _One Piece: Straw Hat Chase 3D_.

**Chopper's Clothes Choice: **Normal maroon shorts.

**Robin's Clothes Choice: **A lavender shirt, dark purple tight leather pants and shoes from the end of the Alabasta Arc/A light pink halter-top with a golden collar with the base designed similar to a pink butterfly wings and it exposes her back, dark purple pants with a velvet handkerchief with white polka dots for a belt, dark purple heels, and a gold armband on her left bicep from _One Piece: Romance Dawn Story_.

**Franky's Clothes Choice: **An unzipped, violet hoodie with drawstrings and dark purple lines decorated at the hem, and pale red speedos from _One Piece: Romance Dawn Story_.

**Brook's Clothes Choice: **Normal black suit with a dark blue cravat tie and his black top hat.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"_Didn't I tell you not to stand beside me?"_

"_You're going to catch a cold dressed like that."_

"_The only people who catch colds are those who let their mind's guard down."_

"_Okay... I guess all those stories I've hear about how tough the Zoro the Pirate Hunter is really true."_

"_For the record, I never once called myself a pirate hunter."_

"_Well, obviously other people did. So then, who came up with that name?_

"_Who knows? Doesn't matter to me, lady." _– Episode 135

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"Nami, Robin~! My dinner of love is ready for you!" cooed Sanji, his voice sugared with affection for the two females before it reverted into a grumpier tone as he addressed his male crewmates. "You guys, supper's ready!"

"Yay! Food!" Luffy cheered in pure joy. Leaving the fishing rod behind, he hopped off the railing and raced to the kitchen with Usopp, Chopper and Brook. Franky chatted with Robin and Nami as they made their way to the dinning room as well, leaving behind only one snoozing comrade on deck. When everyone was seated, the Straw Hats realized Zoro's absence immediately.

"Where's that stupid swordsman?" the blond-haired man asked, catering plates of freshly baked pasta to the table.

"Zoro's still sleeping outside," Chopper informed him. "I guess he didn't hear you."

"He is a sound sleeper," Nami commented as Sanji poured her and Robin a glass of vintage red wine.

"Somebody get him before his food gets cold," the cook instructed.

"I think it's better to let him sleep, Sanji," suggested Usopp, taking a bite out of his plate of pasta. "I heard Zoro come in the room late last night. He looked really tired, like he hasn't been getting any sleep lately."

"I'll just put this in the refrigerator, then."

While various members of the crew were shouting at Luffy for stealing their food, Robin—too absorbed within her thoughts to pay attention to her surroundings—remained quiet as mouse as she poked her fork in her food aimlessly.

Tonight was the night.

She couldn't focus on anything else but planning to ask Zoro to meet her once the others retire for the night. Anxiety spiked in her, the nervousness she felt was evident in her azure hues. Hopefully, her talk with Zoro would to end well tonight, unlike their previous ones. Like Nami said before, it was time to make things clear between them...or she can't move on with her life.

"Nico Robin, you all right? You've stabbing your food for ten minutes." Franky's concerned voice hooked her out of inklings, and she faintly jolted in her seat as she gazed up to see her crew staring at her with worried expressions.

"Oh, yes. I'm fine, please don't worry about me," she replied with a polite smile. "I'm sorry, I suppose I don't have much an appetite right now."

Chopper looked at her with a frown. "Are you sick, Robin?"

"Oh, no. I'm perfectly fine, Chopper. Just a little worn out, that's all," she assured him, her brain whacking for an excuse to use to assuage her companions. "The battle this afternoon with those pirates who attacked us must have tired me out a bit. There were a lot of them."

"Yeah, but they were so weak!" Luffy chimed with a wide grin, recalling the fun he had fighting off the enemies.

"To you, maybe. You're like a monster!" the sniper exclaimed.

"Aw, thanks, Usopp!"

"That isn't exactly a good thing, you know!"

While the boys spoke among themselves, Robin stood from her seat. "Well, I suppose I should excuse myself."

"I'll put this in the fridge for you, Robin, so you can eat it later," Sanji offered, taking her plate off the table.

The historian flashed a smile that appeared more beautiful and bright as the sun itself. "Thank you, Sanji."

The blond-haired man melted into a puddle at her charming beauty. "Anything for you, my love!"

Robin stepped out of the kitchen and exhaled a deep sigh as the air fanned her warm skin. Her body shivered at the chilly wind, causing her to wrap her arms around herself as her irises landed on the slumbering swordsman. A wistful expression crossed her features, chuckling slightly at how the first mate could sleep so peacefully despite the weather. He didn't even move from his spot at the foremast since dinner started. He was going to catch a cold if he doesn't put something else on besides that black robe.

A memory sprung to her mind at the observation just then.

Wasn't there a time when she brought a dark blue jacket for the dozing green-haired man shortly after she joined the crew? He was sleeping on the upper deck of the _Going Merry_ and she'd strolled to his side with a jacket. She was mildly shocked when her presence awoken him and his callous palm reflectively gripped his Wadō Ichimonji. Back then, he saw her as a threat since she was new to the Straw Hats after resigning as their enemy, so it was natural for a cautious man such as him to be prepare for a sneak attack. She was trying to show him a little kindness, hoping that it would ease his suspicions of her. However, he refused her offer, so she just walked away.

That memory gave Robin an idea to react that moment once more, as a stepping-stone to strike her request to him in a subtle way. Treading calmly to the other side of the _Sunny_, she entered her room and made a beeline directly to her and Nami's closet. She took out the same jacket from that time and clutched it tightly as she went back to the deck.

_Please, let this work._

As she drew near, the swordsman's eyelids snapped open and his left hand reached for the Ichimonji. His predatory eyes scanned the area for any intruders on the ship before they riveted on the lovely raven-haired beauty. How nostalgic, she thought, for the exact same thing to repeat itself between them.

Recoiling his palm from his sword, Zoro examined the coat in her arms before he locked his eyes with hers. "What do you want?"

"You're going to catch a cold dressed like that," she recited the same words she did previously, gesturing to the jacket in her hands. "I thought you might want a—"

"Didn't I tell you before? The only people who catch colds are those who let their mind's guard down," he repeated gruffly.

"I know that." Robin whispered softly. "It was an excuse to... Would you please meet me tonight, in the library?"

She didn't wait to hear his response. Instead, she merely pivoted her heel and stalked to her room. If he had something to say to her, then he can say it tonight.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Zoro concluded that he was a _complete_ idiot.

He knew this was utter insanity! What the hell was he thinking, compiling to Robin's request to meet her in the library once everyone else was asleep? His feet dragged him there, all the while the aching need to have the beautiful raven-haired woman nearly overwhelming his senses, threatening to drive over the edge that screamed at him to claim her as his own.

He yearned for Robin.

_All of her. _

So imagine the _sheer agony_ he's been going through for what seemed like eternity for keeping his desire for her at bay. A fierce possessive rumble vibrated deep in his throat at the thought. It was a craving that could never be satisfy, for he would never allow it be to be sated. It was for Robin's protection, and if being away from meant acting like a jackass to keep her away from, then so be it. And yet, the burning hunger was still there. He wished for her heated flesh to be on his, their mouths fused in an ardent kiss, and all the while, he was pounding inside of her like animal, marking her, imprinting her, branding her as his woman an—

Zoro mentally smacked himself for thinking such things, especially since he was going to meet the female to conjure such emotions from him. Which brings him to this question again: What in the _hell_ was he thinking?

It was too late to turn back now as he swung the door to the _Sunny's_ library, and came face-to-face with the subject of his frustration. Robin stood in front of the round table in anticipation for his arrival, her blue orbs steadily locked on his.

She broke the silence between after enough time past. "I'm surprised you came."

"You wanted to talk, so talk," Zoro grunted harshly, his voice rougher than he'd intended.

Robin didn't even flinch. Taking a step forward, she let out a resolute sigh. "I need to know where things stand—where _we_ stand, Zoro."

He glared at her, a frown creasing on his forehead. "We're friends, Robin, isn't that obvious?"

Briefly, she glanced downwards, a pained expression rushing through her features. The word 'friend' meant so much to her, ever since she was child on the run from the World Government. It took her twenty years to finally found the friends Saul told her about, but with Zoro...she wanted more from him. More than friendship. "We're more than that, Zoro, and you know it. I'll admit, though, that I am confused."

The ex-bounty hunter scoffed, his eyes narrowing at her. "There's nothing to be confused about, woman. Listen, I don't the time or the intere—"

"Stop lying to me, damn it!"

Zoro arched a brow at unexpected blurt of profanity. Her visage, which usually remained calm and collected, was distorted with anger and desperation. Once the astonishment subsided, his countenance was replaced by a scowl. She was pushing him, he knew, pushing him to reveal the truth to her. Well, there was no way in _hell_ was that going to happen. If she wanted to push him to his limit, then he will push right back just as hard.

She folded her arms over her breasts and took several paces nearer. "I don't understand you. You're tender with me for one minute and cold as ice to me the next. You said you didn't want me, and then you said you did. You told me your reasons for not wanting to be with me, but when I tried to convinced you, you'd just make more excuses."

"What's your point?" he inquired with a growl, hating how sparks between them crackled as she stared him dead in the eye, infuriating him to the core.

And caused his blood boiled with a keen, aching want for _her_.

"My point is that you have this martyr problem because of your past with Kuina," Robin stated steely. "You don't know what to do with a woman who doesn't need you looking after her. A real woman, who can survive just fine on her own and not let you hold yourself responsible if she gets hurt. You'd rather blame yourself for not living up to a imaginary bar of some unattainable honor and strength you've set for yourself because you think you're not strong enough to protect those close to you."

Livid by her blunt speech and bringing Kuina into it, Zoro snarled and curled his lips back to show his clenched teeth. No matter how he didn't want to admit it to her, she was right on the mark. However, that doesn't change anything between. "It isn't any of you business, Robin."

"It is my business!" she retorted with the same amount of rage. "I care about you!"

At her honest admission, the green-haired man was taken aback. She removed the distance between them, gently pressing her soft body against his, the latter's masculine frame scorching at the contact. She felt so good against his rigid form, and the consuming need to take her was almost overwhelming him. Her heat radiated off from her and seeped into him, the sensation of her hips against his added fire to his ever-growing arousal. Although she knew that he shove her away from his reach, he couldn't find the will to do it.

Gently, she cupped his cheek with her right palm to prevent him from averting his face from hers. Her thumb caressed his skin while her free arm coiled around his waist to tug her more tightly to him. "I didn't ask you to come here to fight you, I did it so we can make our feelings clear. I've decided—I'll stop bothering you, but only if you look me in the eye and tell me you don't have the same feelings for me as I do for you."

Zoro was stunned, completely frozen like a statue as he let the words slowly sank in his brain. Was she serious? It was almost impossible to believe what she just said, but as he stared profoundly in her azure hues, he detected not one hint of dishonesty. His voice was lost to him, so only a numb muteness he'd never known before weighted down on his shoulders. He couldn't tell her that he didn't have the same feelings for her as she did for him, he just couldn't. Not now, not when she's being so sincere to him when all he'd done was lie and push her away. It was time he stopped lying to her, because it was something she deserved.

"I can't tell you that," Zoro professed, his tone low and tormented, like the truth was anguishing for him to say. The guilt was evident in his words, and Robin could understand how much he's been suffering through his own noble reasons. Keeping himself away from her and rejecting her was just as painful for him as it was for her. "Damn it, Robin, why couldn't you just let me go?"

Her smile was bittersweet. "Because in all of my twenty years on the run, you're the first man I wanted so badly."

"But why _me_?"

"You looked at me differently, like I was more than just something that most men usually wanted from me: Sex, which is quite ironic considering that was the only thing I've never done. From day one, you saw me like...a puzzle, and I liked it. It amused me. And when I saw how devoted you were with Luffy, Chopper, and the others, I thought it was sweet."

The first mate shrugged his shoulders. "Luffy needs someone looking after him, and so does Chopper. He's just a kid. This crew's crazy, so someone needs to look out for them if they get themselves into trouble."

"And then there was me. You saved me and protected me more than anyone else did, and when I heard what happened on Thriller Bark, I was impressed. After that treasure hunt, I think it was then I'd realized I felt this way to you."

"Robin," Zoro grasped her shoulders and parted her curvaceous figure from his by an inch, her tender touch leaving his face. "I... This thing between us can't go any further. It's...crazy. Impossible."

The raven-haired beauty frowned a bit. "How so?"

"Well, we're pirates for one thing. We're going to be constantly worried about each other when we're fighting off enemies."

"We do that already," she pointed out, bracing her hands against his chiseled torso. "What else do you have?"

"You're older than I am."

"That doesn't bother me."

He sighed in exasperation. "It's crazy. Look at us, we're—"

"All I see is a man and a woman." Her sentence cut his off and before he could even get a chance to blink, her mouth was on his for smoldering kiss. Robin felt a pair of strong arms snaked around her waist and pulled to a muscular body, roaming hands frantically touching her with passionate intensity. Zoro wasn't shoving her away; he was reciprocating her affections.

_At last._

She wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers tugging his mossy hair as she moaned in pleasure. The kiss was hot and demanding, like a hungry beast ravaging its captured prey. As the couple broke apart for air, Robin saw the Zoro's lust-glazing irises and the desire written across his handsome mien. Like her, he was panting heavily and she could feel his erection against the inside of her thigh. He was aroused just as much as she was, and despite the barrier that shielded his arousal from her, she could tell that he was hard as granite.

Eyes rooted on her flushed face and kiss-swollen lips, he grabbed her hand and began tugging out of the library. "Let's go somewhere else."

She nodded, allowing him to take her anywhere he wanted to go. He guided her to the crow's nest, the sole place where they can be alone without anyone stumbling in. Locking the hatch, Zoro took Robin in his embrace again, his lips claiming hers for a dizzying kiss. His tongue invaded past her mouth, eagerly exploring the moist cavern. She tasted so lush and sweet, his tongue leading hers in a fiery dance for dominance.

Moaning at the bliss, the raven-haired beauty wrapped her slender legs around his waist so he can carry to the bench. Now in his lap, she sprouted extra hands on to feel his whole build, skimming and clutching his flesh and contours of his well-defined muscles. His body felt just as magnificent as it looked, and that fact made Robin crave the swordsman more. He was so perfect. A man made for sex.

Clothes were stripped off them in seconds, their need to have flesh against flesh increasing as their hands fervently raked wildly all over each other. When they were completely nude, Zoro let out an erotic growl and pinned her to the floor, his mouth latching onto the creamy, graceful column of her neck. Robin moaned in ecstasy, her phantom appendages still tracing the muscles of his taut chest. As he ravished her throat, she gasped when she realized just how close his rigid crotch was to her wet, velvet core.

"Zoro..." she breathed huskily, her voice coming out broken gasps of air. The swordsman peppered her breasts with butterfly kisses, his callous palms groping both of her massive mounds and squeezing them, eliciting another relished moan from her. His flaming lips moved on, planting more kisses down her delectable figure. "I want you..."

A fierce, possessive rumble from the back of Zoro's throat sent tingly chills down her spine, his wandering mouth lifting from stomach to study her beautiful face with a bestial expression that earned him the title of a demon. "Are you sure? There's no going back after this."

Robin nodded, a coquettish smile curving on her sensual lips. "I'm sure."

Firmly, she placed her real hand on the nape of his neck and yanked him down to her, smashing his heated mouth on hers for another passionate kiss. This was it; there was no holding the beast back to mark his prey. Arching her back up, Zoro crushed the beauty beneath him and grabbed her hips harshly to meet his in a long, hard thrust. They gasped and moaned at the delicious contact, the first mate's erection cleaving in Robin's exquisite glove that sent them both in spirals of blazing sensation. Rhythmically, Zoro began pumping in and out of her wet, tight passage, losing himself into the powerful feeling of their bodies becoming as one. He reminded himself to be careful, knowing well that his immense strength could break her in a second.

"Don't be gentle, Zoro, I won't break," Robin muttered in his ear, like she knew his thoughts. Pleasure rippled through her body, and when he complied with her wish and plunged within her as deep as he could, she cried out something in ecstasy. _His_ name. "ZORO!"

He continued his thrusts, maintaining his pattern as he revealed in Robin's sweet cries and moans. Her releases triggered by his, and he groaned as they came together over and over again. Her nails scored his back, leaving crescent-shaped marks behind in the morning, and his hand fisted roughly in her silky, inky black strands. He forced her lips back on his, silencing her loud cries of pleasure. She met his every thrust, keeping up his pace and riding out every wave of pleasure with him.

"I'm sorry for hurting you," he murmured against her mouth, filling and stretching her luscious form. "I was selfish..."

"It's okay," she replied, her lips leaving his to lick the sensitive patch of skin behind his left ear, his three golden earrings brushing on one of her crimson cheeks.

Robin didn't know how many hours passed until they reached their last, earth-shattering climax together that night. Afterwards, they lay together in a heap of tangled, sweaty limbs. Rolling off of her, the swordsman came to her side, embracing the archeologist with one arm as she snuggled closer to his warmth with a broad smile. She felt him kissed the top of her head tenderly before they both drifted off into a blissful slumber.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Zoro stroked Robin's smooth cheek with the back of his knuckles, watching as she slept peacefully with a content smile etched on her visage. She was sprawled on the floor, a blanket—which he kept in the crow's nest since his isolation period—covering her nude body from his sight. He should be lying down with her too, but it won't be long until sun rises and he would start training. He sat beside her while resting his right arm on his raised leg, listening to her calm breathing.

Last night raced through his mind, the passion and comfort he felt then and even now was unfamiliar to him. It was strange...but nice. He smirked at the shocking revelation; he was too accustomed of denying him any pleasure or desire. But now, with Robin snoozing next to him, all he wanted was to yield to his desire for her.

"Are you planning to leave again?" questioned a tired but worrisome archeologist. The first mate gazed down at her with signs of surprise as Robin stirred underneath their shared blanket until she found a comfortable position. She looked wistful and sated, her drowsy blue hues shimmering with ardor. Despite the soreness in her lithe muscles, she felt incredible from the previous night's events.

Zoro shook his head. "No."

"I'm glad." Robin hefted herself off the floor and leaned in for an affectionate kiss. Greedily, Zoro kissed her back as he scooped her in his arms and into his lap. The kiss was short and chaste, but it was enough to inflamed them both with carnal need. The raven-haired haired beauty withdrew her soft lips from his and encircled her arms around his neck, shifting slightly in his lap until their crotches were right above one another. And much to the swordsman's embarrassment, her generous bosom was directly leveled with his face.

He flushed, diverting his head in another direction, but his lover cupped his cheeks and brought them back to her bountiful breasts and rosy nipples. "Uh, Robin..."

"Hmm?" She wore a teasing, seductive smile. She always did admire his innocence, and besides, she needed to make up for lost time when she wasn't able to play with him. However, they had to talk about important matters for now. "Are you...having any regrets?"

"No, I'm just thinking about things," he responded with a serious expression. He could see the concern surfacing on her mien, so he tightened his arms around her to assuage her fears. He cast a worried look at her while his rough palms caressing her smooth thigh and hips leisurely. A part of him still couldn't believe that he made love to Robin the previous night. _Twice_. "Are you all right?"

The historian nodded with a big smile. "Of course, you were very sweet."

"T-That's good..." Zoro flushed, his cheeks scarlet. "So...what happens now?"

Robin pondered for a minute. Taking his left arm off her frame, the raven-haired beauty enclosed her fingers with his. "I'd like to say that we're lovers now. That is, if only you want to."

Zoro raked his other hand through his hair. "I'm willingly to give this a shot, but I can't promise you I'll be a good lover. I've never been with a woman before."

"I'm happy to hear that. And you won't be a bad lover," she simpered, placing her lips on his for a slow, desirous kiss. She heard him let out an erotic groan in response, which broadened her smile. His back hit the floor, phantom hands sprouting from the ground to keep him pin so she could take control this time. As she swiveled her hips and took his erect shaft deep inside her, their conversation was over.

Finally, Roronoa Zoro and Nico Robin was officially a couple.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

When it was time for breakfast, relieved and energetic cries and chatter filled the cheery atmosphere. The crew was overjoyed that their swordsman and archeologist were back to their normal selves after so long—although they were ignorant to sudden change. They didn't care, though, just as long as their close-knit family could return to their regular daily lives. Zoro and Robin both smiled at their eccentric comrades for exaggeration over their 'recovery' of their gloomy state.

Every so often during the celebration, Zoro and Robin would exchange secret looks. They decided that shouldn't tell anyone about their relationship, due to the fear of social awkwardness among their crewmates. And besides, they just began their new relationship and wanted to test it out before announcing it to Luffy and the others. After all, they hardly spent any time in the morning to discuss it.

Ascending to Zoro's gym, Robin couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement surged through her body. She'd dreamed of this for so long, and now it has finally happened. For the first time in her twenty-eight years of living, she had found love from the most unexpected place and person: A grouchy, aggressive swordsman on a crazy pirate ship. The raven-haired beauty chuckled at her musing, lifting the hatch (which Zoro no longer decided to keep locked) open and spotted the slick, taut back of her man.

Huh. _Her man_. She liked the sound of that.

Zoro was lifting a humongous dumbbell with one hand, something she considered an impressive feat. Sweat rolled down the valleys and hills of his taut backside, and Robin knew she could spend eternity just watching him like this. With a saucy smile, she crept up to him and knelt down so she could plant a gentle kiss on the small of back, which caused him to stop his workout.

"None of that, woman. I'm working here," he chided lightly. Robin giggled, hearing a smile in his voice. He set the dumbbell down and grabbed a white towel to wipe the perspiration off him. "So, what are you doing here?"

"You said you wanted to talk earlier," she reminded him, taking a seat on the bench and gestured for him to sit next to her. "Don't worry, no one saw me coming up here."

"Ah, right..." Zoro said, anxiety rising within him as the archeologist shifted closer to him and rested her head against his hard chest. That nervous emotion only spiked when he felt her hand guided his left one and placed it directly on her thigh, which was covered in dark purple pants that went stylishly with her pink and golden halter top. When he tried to skim his palm away from that delectable location, her hand yanked him back and firmly held it there.

"Don't be so skittish, Zoro." Robin's tone was flirty. "We're lovers now, you can touch me anywhere you want."

Well..._she_ certainly wasn't shy. Despite never having sex before him, it doesn't mean the brilliant female pirate didn't have any knowledge of such things like what goes on a relationship or what a man wants from a woman. Being on the run for twenty years provided Robin with enough experience to know to entice a man. It was a child's play, really, how easy men would fall for her voluptuous figure and beautiful face. Being with someone as shy and honorable as Zoro was a refreshing change, and she reveled in teasing the green-haired man. The flush on his face was mild, but it made him look so _adorable_.

"Okay..." The first mate cleared his throat, regaining his serious demeanor. "I think we should make some ground rules."

"I agree."

"Good, the first being this: You can stay in the crow's nest if you want, but no distractions," he informed. "My training is important to me."

The historian nodded, splaying her fingers over his torso. "That's fine, as long as still pay attention to me afterwards. I won't like it if you ignore me."

"I won't. Second, I think we should keep our relationship a secret. For a while, anyway. I don't think we should tell everyone until we see where this takes us."

"As do I, but I don't any secrets between us, Zoro. I want to be honest with you, and I want you to feel comfortable sharing your thoughts and feelings with me."

"All right, so no lying. Anything else we need to cover?"

"I don't believe there is," the raven-haired beauty confirmed with an alluring expression. "So then, let's start getting to know each other better."

The green-haired man quirked a curious eyebrow. "You wanna talk?"

"Yes. Is that all right with you?"

"I guess, it really depends on the questions," he said with a faint shrug. "What do you wan to k—Mmph."

She kissed him to shut him up. A deep, thorough and ardent kiss that she wanted to give him the moment she laid her eyes on his half-naked form. She only hoped that he would realize just how much for her love for him was imbued in that kiss. When her lover recovered from the abruptness of the kiss, he opened his mouth to give her access and with a hungry groan, he engaged her hot tongue in a duel with his own.

It wasn't long until they were on the floor, their clothes discarded as they surrendered to ecstasy.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Zoro rolled off of his lover and scooped her up in the circle of his sturdy arms so he was spooning her. As he looked down at his flushed lover in his arms, she glanced back at him with blue orbs glazed with ardor and mischief. She smiled weakly at him, a lewd and sly smirk that spoke a promise that weren't done just yet. They both coated in a sheen of sweat, panting for air, and hair mussed.

Silence enveloped them for a minute or two before audible voices could be heard below. For a moment, Zoro panicked, suddenly remembering that their crew was still on deck. His fears of being heard with Robin while they were making love quelled when all he heard was Luffy and Sanji fighting about tonight's dinner menu.

Robin giggled at the close call, stirring in the first mate's arms until she was facing directly and wonderful breasts brushed against him sculpted chest. Placing a soft kiss on the scar that marred his tanned skin diagonally, her wandering palms caressing over his torso and abdomen, feeling every contour and muscles on her man's body.

The green-haired man nuzzled his face in her inky-black hair, inhaling her intoxicating, flowery scent that shot arousal down to his groin. Was it him or was Robin...glowing? "Robin."

"Mmm?"

"You should get going before—"

"Relax, you worry too much," she cut in with a coy smile, cuddling closer to his warmth. She exhaled a content sigh. "I've always wanted this."

"Wanted what?"

"To be with someone," she clarified, a hint of sadness imbued in her words. "To be love, mostly."

Zoro frowned solemnly. "You never had that? I mean, before the World Government...?"

"No, my mother left when I was two, so I was raised by my aunt. She was cruel, and never liked me. Almost everyone on Ohara never did. I ate the Flower-Flower Devil Fruit when I was young, so the kids would say I'm creepy and the adults used to glare at me in disgust. My only friends were the other archeologists."

"What about your father?"

"Died before I was born or was when I was still a baby. My mother was my only parent, but she left to study the Poneglyphs."

"Must've been very rough and lonely," he remarked with sympathy, his tone rough at the thought of anyone hurting _his_ woman. "If I was you, I'd have beaten all of them up."

Robin laughed joyously, which brought a smile to Zoro's lips. "Yes, you would do that, wouldn't you?"

He barked out a laugh as well. "Hell yeah, I would. I'm the type to let anyone push me around."

"Yes, well, I wasn't the type of child that cause trouble. I was just focused on studying archeology, so I spent my time reading books. When I finally become an archeologist at Ohara, I couldn't join the research since they wouldn't let me study about the Poneglyphs with them since it was taboo. My teacher was looking out for me, but it still made me sad. Then the World Government came and found out about it..."

Sparing her from retelling the tragedy of her homeland, the ex-bounty hunter moved on to a slightly different topic. "You've never had a guy before me? No one's ever attracted your attention?"

The raven-haired beauty hummed and traced the jagged smoothness of his long scar. "No. Many pirates and organizations I'd worked for always leered at me as..."

"A piece of meat, right?" Zoro quizzed with a disgusted scoff.

"Yes. While they considered me as a sinful plague brought upon them, I know how they looked at me. I'd learned to use my wiles to my advantage as I grew up, but I've never been..._intimate_ with man before. Until you, that is." Shifting in her seat, she clasped her arms around Zoro's neck. "I like the way you look at me."

His face, perfectly leveled with her generous bosom, reddened to a brighter crimson. "Right, I remember you telling me that last night."

He tried to divert this face elsewhere, but Robin grabbed his head and smothered him between her breasts. And all the while, she had a sultry smirk adorned on her features. "You're so sweet and innocent, Zoro. I like it, your nobility."

"Robin, I can't breathe," he barely mumbled through the fleshy mounds, attempting to remove himself from her buxom to no avail. "C'mon, let go."

"You don't have to be shy," she continued in seductive tone. She was having _way_ too much fun. Teasing him is only get more enjoyable now that they're a couple. "If it's you, then you can stare at me all you want. I want you to see all of me."

"Robin, I mean it, I can't breathe."

"All right, then," She complied and released him from her iron grip, and locked her arms around his neck again. His face was beat red from embarrassment, and she giggled. _So cute. _"It's my turn to ask the questions. What's your favorite color?"

"Green," he answered with a light shrug.

"Food?"

"White rice, Sea King meat, and anything that goes with sake."

"Birthday?"

"November 11th."

"Favorite books?"

"I don't read a lot to begin with, but there's..."

It went on like this for the rest of the day.

Zoro couldn't recall the last time he talked about himself so much to anyone. Robin kept inquiring about every insignificance detail of his life. Strange as it was, it was kind of..._fun_.

_Is this what it means to be...in love?_

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"_I've wanted to do this...for a long time." _– Episode 277

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

**A/N: **Hiya, folks! :D Guess what? I graduated high school last Saturday! Not only that, last Saturday (May 18, 2013) was the premiere of _One Piece _on **Toonami**! Just keep in mind that if fans want that show to stay on **Toonami**, then the ratings will have to be awesomely high, so spread the word to friends and fans!

Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. :) One of my better chapters, in my opinion, but I think I made it too _fluffy_. Ah, well... I'm a romantic, after all. There was actually supposed to be _two_ more lemons in this, but I cut them out during my revision stage. :P Figured that it would make the chapter a bit cliché and too perverted. We're more than half way done with the story, so only three chapters left! And since I've got some comments before that said that my chapters were quite long, rest assured that my chapters will be shorter from here on out. Not too short, of course. Although this story was created out of a whim of mine, it's my policy to never create a story that is shorter than fifteen pages on Words for each chapter.

_**One Piece**_ **Season Four Voyage 5** was released on May 14, 2013, and is now available on local retailer stores and online. Remember to support the _One Piece_ series by buying the DVDs and by watching episodes on **OnePieceOfficial**,** Neon Alley****, or ****Toonami**.

On an unrelated note, I have three announcements to make:

1.) A good friend of mine known as **Pirate-Empress** posted an _**AWESOME**_ ZoRobin AMV on **YouTube**. Her video is posted on her **deviantART** account, and is labeled **[Zoro X Robin] Parachute**. It's her first AMV, but the video was made excellently! She has real talent! :) Please check her video out and post a lovely comment!

2.) I was going to wait until the last chapter to announce this, but I've got some questions regarding of whether or not this fic is going to get a sequel. The answer is _no_. As I mentioned above, writing this ZoRobin fic started out from a whim of mine. I got upset that there was so many authors gave up on their fics and I wanted to see if I could try writing one. I'll admit that before I posted the first chapter, I played around with the idea of a sequel. However, I've recently started writing a new fic, although I haven't decided whether or not I'm going to post it. It's not another _One Piece _fic, but it's a fic for another anime series and I'm planning a sequel for it. Since I'm indecisive about its publication, I will not release the name of the series I'm writing for. I don't want to get anyone's hopes up.

3.) Although I'd officially graduated from school, my update schedule for the fic will remain monthly. This is because I'm starting to take Drivers' Education to get my license and preparing for collage over the summer.


	8. Chapter 8

**Luffy's Clothes Choice: **Normal red vest with yellow buttons and blue shorts with white fur hemmed at the bottom.

**Zoro's Clothes Choice: **Gray shirt that he wore at the end of the Thriller Bark Arc/His normal plain white shirt with three undone buttons at the collar and black trousers.

**Nami's Clothes Choice: **A brown cleavage-revealing blouse that exposes her abdomen with cream-colored liners, a pale blue, pleated mini-skirt, and black high-heeled gladiator sandals from the Enies Lobby Arc.

**Usopp's Clothes Choice: **Normal brown overalls with a white sash and no shirt underneath.

**Sanji's Clothes Choice:** Normal black, double-breasted suit with a black tie and pants and a long-sleeved, buttoned light blue shirt underneath.

**Chopper's Clothes Choice: **Normal maroon shorts and red leather jacket from the Enies Lobby Arc.

**Robin's Clothes Choice: **A black, unzipped leather jacket over a cleavage-revealing dark blue shirt, a tan mini-skirt with white ornaments dangling on the hem, and light brown high-heeled boots that reaches up to her thighs from _One Piece: Straw Hat Chase 3D_.

**Franky's Clothes Choice: **A brown, unzipped leather jacket with straps on it and a fur collar from _One Piece _Opening 12 – _Kaze wo Sagashite_.

**Brook's Clothes Choice: **Normal black suit with a dark blue cravat tie and his hat.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"_That boy has got to learn to relax. " _– Episode 145

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

The sound of waves rocking against the _Thousand Sunny's_ hull stirred Robin from her sleep. The archeologist's eyelids flickered opened and her sleepy eyes darted to Nami's bed. Her roommate was dozing peacefully with a smile gracing her visage. The raven-haired beauty chuckled at how cute her best friend looked when she was asleep.

Gazing at the porthole located on Nami's side of the room, she saw the rich colors of an early dawn morning. It'll be a while until Sanji wakes up to start breakfast, so she might as well take this chance to spend some quality with Zoro.

Tossing the blanket aside, she quietly tiptoed to the washbasin and brushed her teeth. Once that was done, she collected her clothes and bathing materials she needed and journeyed to the bathhouse. On her way, she spared a happy glance up at the crow's nest, knowing that the swordsman was up there training. Since their relationship started, the lookout section of the ship became their private haven—a secret place where the lovers can meet freely. It's only been a few weeks since then, but thinking of him still made her heart throb rapidly.

After her shower, she strolled to the kitchen for coffee. She brewed two cups, one for her and one for her lover. As she did, a tedious sigh escaped her lips. With every minute that went by, the day seemed so much shorter. It was hard for her and Zoro to be alone, due to their noisy and energetic crew wandering all of the ship during the day and the unfortunate night schedule. If only they were somewhere away from Luffy and the others, then they wouldn't have to sneak around that came with anxiety of getting caught. She wanted to gather up her courage and tell Zoro the three special words she was dying to tell him.

Yes, indeed. Nico Robin was falling in lov—_No_. She wasn't _falling_ in love with him.

She already was in love.

Some would say that it was impossible to fall in love with someone that quickly—crazy, even. After all, she and Zoro has only been a couple for a few weeks. However, she knew that her feelings are pure, genuine love for Zoro.

But how to tell him?

"Morning, Nico Robin!" a jovial, unexpected voice called out to her just when she was about to exit the galley. Franky entered with smudges of grease of his cheeks and hands, which he was currently wiping away with a filthy rag. He must've just emerged from the Solider Dock System.

"Oh, good morning, Franky," the historian responded politely. "What are you doing at this time? You usually don't wake up until Luffy and the others are up."

"Just working on a few adjustments for the _Sunny's_ weaponry," the cyborg answered with a broad grin. "How about you? What're you doing up so early?"

"Uh, um..." she stammered nervously for a proper excuse to use. "I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep, so I made coffee for myself."

The shipwright's grin widened. "Oh? You drink two cups of coffee?"

Robin parted her mouth to usher out another excuse, but then she picked up the teasing in the carpenter's tone. A smirk blossomed on her lips as she pieced everything together in a second. "You know, don't you?"

He hollered out a cheerful laugh. "Sorry 'bout that, Nico Robin, but you can't fool me. I know you _super_ well for you hide it from me. I helped ya out, don't forget."

"I'm sorry I didn't you sooner, even though you'd tried your best to help me. It's just that Zoro and I wanted to—"

"Ah, don't worry, I get it," Franky inserted with dismissive wave before he struck his usual pose. "As long as you're happy, then it's _super_ fine with me!"

"Thank you so much, Franky."

"Sure thing!"

"You won't tell anyone, I assume?" she asked with an arched brow.

"Of course not, you'll tell Straw Hat and the rest when you and Zoro-bro are ready!"

"I appreciate it, thank you." Robin bowed her head in gratitude.

"So, out of curiosity, how's it going?" he quizzed with a mischievous grin to match the glint in his eyes.

Robin giggled at her comrade's inquisitiveness. Well, seeing as he'd helped in her time of need on more than one occasion, what's the harm of letting him in on a few details? "It's going very well, Zoro's making me extremely happy."

Franky stifled back the overflowing tears that were running down his cheeks. "Good for you two! Love on the wide, blue sea!"

"Franky, are you...?"

"I'm not crying, damn it! Don't look this way!"

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"Bon _appétit_, Mademoiselles!" Sanji swooned over the girls at lunch, presenting them with delicious dessert he made especially for them: Chocolate mousse served in fancy glasses with whipped cream and fresh strawberries.

"Thanks, Sanji." Nami dug in her dessert with a delighted smile. "This is really good!"

Robin nodded in agreement, taking a tiny lick of chocolate and cream with a spoon. "Indeed."

The chef beamed and cooed, "I'm glad you like it, my angels! Shall I fetch you something to drink as well?"

"Sure," the thief said, and Sanji merrily did just that.

Too absorbed in pleasing the women, he didn't the annoyed snort emanated from Zoro, who sat in regular seat next to Luffy and across from Nami. Naturally, he didn't like it that the moronic love cook was flirting with _his_ woman and Robin was responding to it with a charming smile. He knew she was being polite (or trying to make him jealous for fun), but he still didn't like it.

"I'm going back to the crow's nest. Tell me when dinner's ready," the first mate declared, raising from his chair and stepping out of galley.

Thirty minutes later, Robin excused herself from the table and exited to follow the green-haired man to the crow's nest. She felt giddy at the anticipation of spending time with him. As she popped her head in "Zoro's Training Room", she saw something she didn't expect to see. Instead finding Zoro eagerly waiting on the bench like she'd expected him to, her boyfriend was sprawled on the floor with flushed cheeks and unconscious.

"Zoro!" She rushed to his side and shouted for Chopper's aid.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"Chopper, please tell me that Zoro is okay!" Luffy begged with teary eyes, gripping the doctor's small shoulders and shaking him for an answer. The crew gathered in the kitchen after Robin, with Franky's help, carried him to the sick bay for treatment.

"Relax, Luffy, Zoro's fine," the Zoan user stated, patting the captain's arm to assuage him. "He just collapsed from fatigue and heat stroke, because he was training too much. He'll be fine in two days or so."

"TWO DAYS!?" screeched a enraged voice from the infirmary. The crew flinched at the thundering tone. "THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL I'M GOING TO SPEND—"

His hoof on the panel, Chopper swung the door opened to see an exasperated Zoro sitting up on the bed as the others followed in. "You have to! Prolonged physical exercise can cause your body to—"

"Screw that!" he interrupted hotly. "I'm not even wounded, why do I have to rest for two days?"

"Your body needs to rest or else you're going to collapse again from exhaustion! Straining your muscles all the time isn't good, Zoro."

"Chopper's right," Nami chimed in, wagging a finger like a mother would do when scolding her child for misbehaving. "All you do is train, train, train, and _train_! You need to loosen up and relax. You know, take it easy for once in your life. It's no wonder why you're such a sound sleeper. You work your body to the bone, and then you have to sleep your lazy butt all day just to recharge, which usually makes you oblivious to everything else around you."

"SHUT UP!"

"In any case," the navigator ignored his outburst and prowled on. "Listen to the ship's doctor for once and rest for a bit. I'm sure you can find other things to occupy yourself with than training."

The green-haired man grumbled in defeat. "Fine, whatever."

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"Listen here, if you don't tell your bosses to stop increasing the price, you won't be able to get any more payments from me or anyone else," Nami scolded the News Coo delivery seagull the next afternoon, reluctantly paying the bird the required currency for today's newspaper. As News Coo flew away, she plopped down on her seat next to Robin on the deck. "Stupid bird..."

"Now, now, it's not like it's his fault for raising the price on the newspaper," her best friend placated, her eyes never moving from the book she was reading.

"What's the big deal, anyway?" Luffy ceased his gait to galley to speak with his female crewmate. "It's just a newspaper, Nami. Besides, if you don't want to waste money, then don't buy it."

"Luffy, Luffy, Luffy... You're so naïve," the orange-haired woman replied with a shake of her head. "I buy these every day, and how do you think we're suppose to know what's going on in the world if we don't read it? It's important to stay inform about stuff like this while making sure we don't end up as penniless pirates, understand?"

The captain's expression was dumbfounded, but he bobbled in head in spite of that. "Got it."

"Good, now go tell Franky to move the ship towards two o'clock so we catch more wind."

"Okay."

"You really ought to be nicer to him," Robin told her, peeking from her book over to see Zoro meditating at the foremast.

The thief, trailing her best friend's gaze to their swordsman, smiled brightly. "Changing the subject, how're you and Zoro doing?"

The older female showed no indication of shock at the revelation. "So, you do know."

"Yep," Nami beamed with a triumphant smile. "Please, I'm not an idiot like the others, or deaf. You really think I snore so loud that I won't be able to hear the sounds from the crow's nest?"

Crimson colored the Robin's cheeks. "I'm sorry about that."

She dismissed the apology with a wave. "Don't worry about it. I knew the you guys were a couple the second it happened, but I didn't say anything because you wanted privacy and all."

"Will you please keep it a secret, just until Zoro and I are ready to tell everyone?"

"Sure thing, Robin, but..." Nami's smile broadened devilishly.

Knowing full well where this was going, Robin quizzed, "What do you want to know?"

"Details, duh!"

"Good, Zoro is quite the lover under all that tough exterior, and we've been spending a lot time together, although not as much as we want to. He's sweet and gentle with me, and I'm very happy."

"Is that all?" Nami deadpanned. "C'mon, Robin, give me specifics! Like, for example, how much do you like him?"

The raven-haired beauty flushed scarlet and a coy expression replaced her surprise. "I like him a lot...maybe too much. Maybe even more than he likes me."

The way she said the last sentence astonished Nami. Dropping her volume to her hushed whisper, the younger female asked, "Robin... Are you...saying that you're in _love_ with Zoro?"

"I think I am..."

Nami squealed gleefully. "Have you told him?"

"No. I want to, but we're always worrying that someone might catch us together. There hasn't been a good time or place for it, and I...I'm a little scared. I don't think he'll say it back."

"What makes you think that?"

"It feels lik—"

"Nami~! Robin~! Lunch is ready! The rest of morons come to!" called Sanji from the dining room.

"FOOD~!" Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, and Brook cheered happily, racing to the kitchen as Franky and Nami strode after them.

Robin chuckled at the boisterous crew and took stepped to follow, but a hand grabbed her waist and stopped her from going. Pivoting, she came directly face-to-face with Zoro. He was so close to her that she had to recoil a few inches back before regaining her composure.

"What is it?" she inquired immediately, observing the stern expression on his countenance.

"I overheard some of the stuff you told Nami." His tone edged on one of melancholy and seriousness. "Robin, is true that you think you care more for me than I do for you?"

His girlfriend cringed a bit at the question. It wasn't her desire whatsoever to ever let Zoro know what she thought about their relationship to spare him the guilt of causing any sort of distress, but since it was out now, it was no use of denying it. The archeologist averted her eyes to the ground and nodded. "I-I do. I'm sorry, but I really think that."

"You're wrong, you know."

"It's just... It seems like you're trying to say good-bye sometimes," she explained anxiously.

"Sorry," he murmured. "I guess it's because I've been on my own for a long time. I'm not used to being cared for by others."

Was that really true? It certainly was plausible, considering that Robin was in the same boat not too long ago. Although the circumstances were a tad different, she understood what he meant. Trying to brighten the atmosphere between them, she flashed a lovely smile. "Let's digress from this, shall we? We should get to the dining room before anyone gets suspicious."

"Yeah, you're right."

At the moment, the urge to profess those three magic words nearly overwhelmed her, but she bit them back. It wasn't the right time or place again, and Robin clenched her teeth on her bottom lip tenderly as she watched Zoro walk away.

Why was it that even though he was so close to her, but seemed so far away?

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"GUYS, I SEE LAND!" Usopp shouted from the front of the ship, on the staircase that leads up the _Sunny's_ lion figurehead.

Rushing forward, Nami took the telescope that the sniper was holding and peered into it. "All right! We got here earlier than expected! Guys, we've finally made it to Gōkana Island!"

"It's about time!" Franky exclaimed he and the others joined them. "We're running out of cola and need to restock."

"Robin, what is this island called Gōkana?" Chopper asked.

"It's called that because this island is known for its expensive merchandise. You see, the name of the island actually mean 'luxury', hence the name," she responded. "It sells things such as food and clothes at very high prices."

"Think of it as an island for the rich, Chopper," Nami said, swiveling to face her crewmates. "Listen up, guys, because I'm only going to say this once. Since this island is so luxurious, the Marines are stationed here, which means that _absolutely_ none of you—_Luffy_, _Zoro_ and _Sanji_—are allowed to get into fights! If we don't buy enough time to purchase enough cola, we can't escape when we get busted. So keep your heads low and traps shut. Franky, Chopper, and Brook are staying behind."

"Wait, what? Why? No way!" the cyborg and little reindeer protested. "I wanna go into town, too!"

"You'll draw too attention to yourselves," she retorted matter-of-factly. "Franky, you're a huge cyborg; Chopper, you're a talking, shape-shifting reindeer; and Brook is walking, perverted skeleton! One look of you guys, and everyone will freak out and kick us out of their island! Or worse, call the Marines!"

"Fine..."

"We're split into groups, then. I'll go with Luffy to keep him out of trouble to gather info about how long it takes the Log Pose to record this island's magnetic waves. Robin," Nami winked slyly at her best friend, "you'll go with Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp to get cola and make sure no one tries to _sneak off_."

"Yes, ma'am," the Monster Trio chorused.

"Good, so we just have to wait until we do—"

"Why should we wait? I see a ferry up ahead!" Luffy stated, pointing his finger in the direction of a large, white cruise ship in front of them. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm not gonna sit here when adventure's waiting for me! **Gum-Gum**—"

"Luffy, no! Don't do th—" Nami began, but it was too late.

"—**Rocket**!" The captain flew rapidly toward the cruise ship and disappeared into the horizon. His launch so fast that none of his crewmembers could tell whether or not if he landed on the cruise ship on not, and the ship getting farther away from where they were.

Nami panicked. "This is bad! If Luffy gets spotted, then we won't even be able to step a single foot onto Gōkana!"

"LUFFY~!" Usopp and Brook yelled in unison at the white ship. "LUFFY, IF YOU CAN HEAR US, SAY SOMETHING!"

"What the hell do you think you're doing, you dolts?" The thief ran over and whacked the back of their heads. "What if the Marines are close by? They'll hear you!"

"Relax, Nami. The Marines are usually stationed at their headquarters and in the lower distracts of a town, since that's where most of the trouble is," Sanji assured her, lighting a cigarette in his mouth. "As for our moronic captain, I can't see him anywhere."

Robin put a contemplated hand under her chin. "Maybe he drowned?"

To her right, Franky was shocked and mildly irritated by her morbid guess. "How can you say such ill-omened thing?!"

"Ugh, that bumbling idiot!" Nami fumed with gritted teeth. "If he ruins my chance to shop at Gōkana, I'm going to kill him! And when I'm done with him, I'm gonna kill him again!"

"Forget about your stupid shopping spree!" Zoro bellowed frantically, hopping onto the _Sunny's_ head to get a better view. "We have to find Luffy! Where'd he go? Franky, get us to that island, now!"

"Aye-aye, bro!"

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"We're here!" Nami proclaimed in joy and relief, Zoro and the others ambling on the docks. "Good thing Franky used the paddles so we can take down the sails. If anyone saw our flags, we'd be in big trouble. Okay, I'm going to find Luffy. The rest of you know your duties! Later!"

"See you later, Nami." Robin waved to her, who mouthed "Good luck" to her before she vanished in a throng of people. Glancing at Sanji and Usopp, both of them studying the map of Gōkana, she hastily grasped her boyfriend's left hand and started dragging him away.

"Where're we going?" he asked, confused.

"Shopping," Robin answered simply with a delighted smile.

By the time they were gone from eyesight, the blond-haired cook realized that the raven-haired beauty was gone and bawled in agony at her absence while the long-nosed sharpshooter awkwardly stared on.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"That was fun, wasn't it?" Robin commented cheerfully, strolling through the streets with her right hand locked with Zoro's, the other carrying the multiple bags of purchased clothes she bought at a boutique. One of them was also for Zoro, having gone to a men clothing store and personally selecting T-shirts and jackets for her boyfriend to wear. She even found a white shirt that resembled the one he used to wear before it was shred to pieces at Thriller Back. He thanked her, immediately switched the gray shirt he wore for the white one, and stashed it in his bag of his new clothes.

"Hmm." Zoro shifted his predatory eyes back and forth through every corner of the streets. He was keeping an eye out for the Marines and while Robin understood the need for caution, she really wanted to spend time with him without any worries. After all, Nami gave them this chance to be alone together so she could confess her love for him.

"You're so tense," she remarked with a fatigued sigh, noting how tensed and alert he was. "Try to relax sometimes, we're being careful already. You don't have to act like my bodyguard."

"Hanging out in a town like this gets on my nerves. Marines are crawling all over the place, I don't like it."

"How about we get a drink, then?" she suggested. "We still some money left over from shopping."

Zoro's grumpy expression brightened, eager to get a good jug of sake to swallow down. They came across a decent bar that was local and clean—not the kind of bars that pirates hung about in, but a bar where men can sit back and relax with a cold drink. As expected, the bar was packed with people, men and women alike, seated in tables and at the bar counter. Like the town, the customers were all well-dressed and suave. Robin might've fit in with these types of people because of her elegance and mature demeanor, but the swordsman certainly did not. He stood out like a sore thumb.

He couldn't care less what a bunch of strangers thought of him, so he ignored them as he and the raven-haired beauty took a seat at a table. Once the bags on the floor, they ordered their drinks—ale and coffee respectively—and drank while the customers eyed them suspiciously. Some of the men were ogling at Robin's beauty from afar. It pissed Zoro off to have men were drooling all over his girlfriend. Sliding his prized sword's hilt up by an inch, Zoro sent death glares that pierced the perverted onlookers. They cringed and shrunken back in their seats in fear of the bloodlust that the pirate emanated.

"Tch, stupid gang of Sanjis," he mumbled.

Robin sipped her steaming cup of coffee, set it down on the table and gave him assuaging smile. "What's with the face? You look angry."

Zoro gestured his hand to the male customers that were still staring at Robin in lecherous manner. "They're salivating all over you."

"I'm not looking back, am I?" A playful smirk adorned her features. "Are you jealous?"

"Shut up," he replied in a low murmur and took another swig of rum.

She chuckled. "You're so cute when you're jealous."

"I'm _not_ jealous!" Red splotches colored his cheeks.

"You don't have to worry, in any case," Robin smiled pleasantly. "I'm only interested in you."

Despite her words, his mien became solemn. After he chugged down his glass, his next sentence surprised her. "For what reason for, I still don't know."

"What do you mean by that?" Her smile flattened into a serious line. She really wanted to know what he meant by his words, because she didn't want him to have doubts about their relationship.

"It doesn't make any sense to me why a woman like you could be interested in someone like me. You're obviously attractive enough to have any man you want in the world, but you settled for me instead."

"Is really that hard to believe that I could be interested in you?"

"If you think about it logically, yeah. I'm younger than you, for one thing. I've never been with a woman before, much less really associate with them since..._she_ passed away. I always figured I was allergic to relationships."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember what I told you before we got together? How that I might end up hurting someone in the end if I got together with someone?" Zoro reminded her, his tone becoming bitter at the memories of Kuina's death replayed in his mind. "I'm not cut out for stuff like that."

"I don't think that's true," Robin replied softly.

"You sure about choosing me, though?" he asked, almost like he was daring her to back out from their relationship.

"Yes." Her answer was fast and resolute, her cobalt irises staring him steadily to match the sternness written on her visage. A second or two passed before her gaze softened and spoke to him in a more insecure voice. "Just now...it sounded like you were trying to say good-bye."

"I'm not used to caring for a woman," he told her curtly, indicating that he was referring to Kuina. He never was comfortable talking about her to anyone. "And like I said before, I'm not used to have someone caring me, either."

"Would you rather I hate you?"

"I don't want you hate me, I just wanna make sure you're happy."

"I am happy, especially since I found you and people I can call my family." Now would be a good time as any to tell her boyfriend how she truly felt about him. To ease the doubts that he was having before he decided that him being with her was not a good idea if she was not happy. Exhaling a shaky breath, Robin gathered up her courage and licked her lips as she opened her mouth and began, "Zoro, I want to tell you something. I lo—"

"Excuse me, miss," a smooth voice cut in.

The couple pivoted their heads to see a man—somewhere around in early thirties with slick black hair and a charming smile in casual yet classy clothes—leering at Robin the same way Sanji would do every time he saw pretty girl. Instantly, Zoro felt irritated by his interruption, more so when he saw the scorn visible in his dark eyes that were directed to him. After half a second, the stranger turned his rapt attention the long-legged, gorgeous beauty in the other chair.

On the verge of popping a vein and slicing in him two for treating him like he didn't exist, Zoro motioned for his sword.

"Hello, sir. Is there anything can I help you with?" Robin jumped in quickly before her lover came to her unnecessary defense. The sooner she dealt with this man, the sooner she can finally tell Zoro her true feelings for him. However, she wasn't going to resort to violence methods to get the stranger to leave, so flashed lovely smile at the unknown person.

"I was wondering if you'd let to have a drink with me," he offered, leaning too close to Robin.

"That's very kind of you, but I'm afraid I have to decline," she responded, shooting the boyfriend a look that warned him not to do anything stupidly rash.

"I insist."

"I'm sorry, but as you can see, I'm wi—"

"I can show a great time, especially at my house."

Zoro growled, a deep rumble in his chest what was he was witnessing. Was this bastard serious? He was lewdly flirting with Robin in front him and not caring a bit that she had no intention of accepting his invitation for a date? Are all snobs like this?

Knowing that she wouldn't be able to control her boyfriend's ire anymore, Robin immediately stood up "I think it's time we leave, don't you, Zoro?"

The minute she tried to from the stranger, the man grabbed her arm to still her. It's official; this man was the type to never until he got what he wanted. "_Stay_."

"Let go of her." Zoro twisted the man around by the shoulder and delivering a punch to the man's jaw with more force than intended it to be. Blood spluttered from his mouth as the rude asshole crashed to the floor while the people around them gasped in horror and fright.

"Someone call the Marines!"

That was their cue to leave. Picking up their shopping bags, the two Straw Hats sprinted out of the bar and into the streets. The summoned Marines hot on their trail.

"Robin, head back to the ship. I'm going to take of them," Zoro ordered.

"No, don't," she objected at once. "There's too many people in streets, you're going to hurt someone. Let's just keep running and shake them off before we reach the _Sunny_."

"That's easier said than do—OUCH!" Zoro yelped as he crashed with some idiot coming out from an alley. Both men stumbled backwards, their butts hitting the dirt ground, groaning in pain

Zoro and the stranger recovered from collision, immediately got back onto their feet, and simultaneously roared, "WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, ASSHOLE!"

"Sanji, it's Zoro and Robin!" Usopp pointed out from behind the martial artist

"Robin! How I've missed you, my darling!" Sanji crooned.

"Zoro, where have you and Robin been?" the sniper inquired. "We're done with the shopping, so let's go."

"Talk later, run now! Marines are behind us!" the first mate informed.

"The Marines?! What the hell are they doing here? And why are they chasing you guys?"

"RORONOA ZORO! STOP RIGHT THERE!" a feminine, strict, and utterly _familiar_ voice ordered him front the throng of Marines that were still running toward them.

An instant bell of alarm went off in the Zoro's brain at the command from the female Marine that reminded him too much from a ghost of his past. Perspiration broke out on his forehead as he slowly swiveled his face around to confirm his suspicion. There, in the center of the squad of his enemies, was that damned woman Tashigi—or as he often put it, 'the evil look alike'. _Damn it! Why did have to be her?_

Peeking over her lover's shoulder, Robin also recognized the Marine and frowned deeply. "That girl is..."

"Oooh~! The lovely lady!" Sanji gushed out, enthralled again by a pretty face—which earned him a whack on the head from Usopp.

"You idiot!" he cried hysterically. "Do you wanna get captured by them? Start running!"

As Usopp started dragging the lovey-dovey cook by the collar of his jacket, Robin made a motion to follow until she saw Zoro was in a defensive. "Zoro, what are you doing? We have to escape."

"You go on ahead, Robin. I'm staying here," he told her, unsheathing his blades from their scabbards. "I'll buy you guys some time to get to the _Sunny_, and then catch up with you. Marines won't stop chasing us, so I'm going to dwindle down their numbers."

"But—"

"Just go!"

A bit shocked from the assertiveness of his tone, the historian relented and dashed down the streets with Sanji and Usopp.

"Good luck, Zoro!" Usopp wished him before they were of sight.

Zoro smirked cockily. "I don't _need_ luck to take care of them."

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"What's wrong, my dear?" the chef asked with concern as he saw Robin stopped in her tracks after five minutes running while leaving her boyfriend behind to deal with the enemies. "Robin, is everything okay?"

The raven-haired beauty bit her lip in dread. "It's just that..."

Usopp glanced at his friend's troubled expression. "If you're worried about, Zoro, then don't. He'll be fine, let's just hurry back to the ship. Zoro gave us this chance to get away, so let's not waste it."

_That's not it._ Something felt..._wrong_ to her. Robin couldn't put her finger on it, but leaving Zoro only with the Marines—more specifically with _that girl_—made her anxious with fright and some other emotion she couldn't figure out at the moment. She didn't know why, but it made her worried about her lover.

"Sanji, take these for me." She thrust her shopping bags into her crewmate's arm and pivoted her heel in the direction where her swordsman and the Marines were. "I'm going back for Zoro."

"Wait, Robin, that's too danger—" And she was gone. There was no way Sanji was going to leave a lady by herself. With that decided, he slammed the bags into Usopp's arms and went after Robin. "Usopp, take these and go back to the ship! I'm going to get Robin and the stupid swordsman!"

"Wait, Sanji! Don't leave me alone! Who's gonna protect me?!"

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"For the last time, I have no desire whatsoever to fight you!" Zoro proclaimed for the umpteenth time, clutching his legendary blades in his palms tightly. Sprawled around him were the Marines he taken down already in five minutes, which meant that he only have to get away from that irritating copycat. They've clashed swords at least eight times by now, and while they were doing that, the pirate continuously stated that he have no intention of fighting her. "We settled our fight just fine in Loguetown!"

"No, we didn't! I never even dealt you a single blow!" Tashigi countered hotly, her beloved sword, Shigure, pointed directly at her rival ten feet from where she was. "Stand and fight, Roronoa!"

"Even if we do fight, there's no point. It's just gonna end up the same way it did in Loguetown!" he declared in exasperation, a vision of Kuina's youthful and smiling face covering the female Marine. And that, of course, only made him more uncomfortable at the situation he was in. _She looks too much like her!_ "And put away your damn face!"

"How dare you insult me again?!" Tashigi exclaimed, enraged at his rude comment. "You really are low, Roronoa Zoro, to stoop to such a pathetic tactic like that! I'd expect nothing else from a pirate!"

"Shut up, you don't know anything!"

Like their previous encounters, a childish argument broke out between the two. While this went on, Robin arrived at the scene just as an injured male Marine hoisted himself of the ground on one knee, and aimed his rifle at the Straw Hats' swordsman.

_Oh, no! Zoro! _Acting quickly, the Devil Fruit user crossed her arms and took action."**Dos Fleur: Clutch**!"

Two arms sprouted from the male Marine's shoulders and covered his mouth before he could cry out, and bended him backwards. When they audible sound of bones breaking was heard, it brought Zoro and Tashigi from their verbal fight and drew their eyes to the female pirate.

"Robin?" He stared at her with disbelief. "What're you going here? I told you to go with to the others!"

"No, I won't," she refused, treading to her stubborn boyfriend's side.

"Nico Robin!" Tashigi glared Robin. Her legs ached from the memory of the notorious female pirate that broke her legs not too long ago in Alubarna.

"I remember you. You're that foolish girl that stood in my way in Alabasta, correct? Back then, I should've finished you off when I had the chance," Robin stated icily, the infuriation she felt during that encounter surging in her veins to her as she crossed her arms. "Now, I won't make that same mistake again."

Abruptly, Zoro grabbed her wrist, startling her. "No, Robin! Don't kill her!"

The shock and hurt that spread on her features made her looked like someone punched all the air out her body. The raven-haired beauty locked her astonished gaze with her lover's, his handsome visage distorted with something that bordered on pain and regret.

Overwhelmed by various emotions of confusion and anguish, terror-filled doubts invaded her mind. Was he...choosing _that girl_ over her? It felt like a betrayal, no matter how irrational it may seem, but she cannot deny the fact that she felt as if her beloved was protecting someone other than her and their crew—protecting an _enemy_. "Z-Zoro...? Why won't you let me k—"

She was unable to complete her sentence when a sudden whirlwind of smoke engulfed her and lifted her up in the air. She knew this wasn't any ordinary smoke; otherwise she would've escaped it by now. Once she was a good twenty feet in the air, an arm replaced where the smoke circled her neck and a face formed next to hers. Within a second, something solid was pressed against her side, and Robin felt as helpless and weak as if she was in the sea. She knew what this familiar, draining sensation meant.

Sea-Prism Stone—the only weakness against Devil Fruit users like herself.

"Surrender now, Roronoa, if you value your crewmate's life," Smoker told him, pushing the tip of his jutte harshly against his captive.

"Robin! Damn it! Let her go, you bastard!" Zoro cursed at him.

"Surrender now, and I won't kill her," he repeated. "You're smart, Roronoa, you know what the outcome will be if the two of us fight."

Seeing no other choice in the matter, the swordsman sheathed his swords and put them down on the ground gently and held up his hands in surrender. "You win. Just don't hurt her."

Smoker jerked his head at his subordinate as he lowered himself and Robin down and returned his normal form. "Tashigi, cuff them both."

"Yes, sir." Tashigi sauntered to the two pirates, pulling out Sea-Prism Stone handcuffs from her coat and did what she was ordered to do. Once they were properly in place, Smoker moved his jutte from Robin's person and ushered his next commands to the other Marines. All the while, his right-hand woman stared at Robin and Zoro with stern eyes, although her burning glare was mostly directed at the raven-haired beauty that returned her glare with equal, burning hatred. "The vow I made to myself the day you defeated me is now completed. Roronoa Zoro and Nico Robin, you now hereby arrested for your crimes against the World Government."

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"_Nico...Robin... I promise I will capture you..." _– Episode 123

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

**A/N: **Just to let all of you know, I'm terrible at battle scenes. I'm too much of a romantic too write them. In any case, two more chapters left! :) Although, I got to admit that the upcoming chapters bit bore everyone a little since I'm not good at fighting scenes and I focus more on emotional aspects of things than the physical. Again, I'm a romantic, being a girl and all. :P

Remember to support the _One Piece_ series by buying the DVDs and by watching episodes on **OnePieceOfficial**,** Neon Alley****, or ****Toonami**.


	9. Chapter 9

**Luffy's Clothes: **Normal red vest and blue shorts with white fur hemmed at the bottom.

**Zoro's Clothes: **His normal plain white shirt with three undone buttons at the collar and black trousers.

**Nami's Clothes: **A brown cleavage-revealing blouse that exposes her abdomen with cream-colored liners, a pale blue, pleated mini-skirt, and black high-heeled gladiator sandals from the Enies Lobby Arc.

**Usopp's Clothes: **Normal brown overalls with a white sash and no shirt underneath.

**Sanji's Clothes:** Normal black, double-breasted suit with a black tie and pants and a long-sleeved, buttoned light blue shirt underneath.

**Chopper's Clothes: **Normal maroon shorts and his unzipped red leather jacket from the Enies Lobby Arc.

**Robin's Clothes: **A black, unzipped leather jacket over a cleavage-revealing dark blue shirt, a tan mini-skirt with white ornaments dangling on the hem, and light brown high-heeled boots that reaches up to her thighs from _One Piece: Straw Hat Chase 3D_.

**Franky's Clothes: **A brown, unzipped leather jacket with straps on it and a fur collar from _One Piece _Opening 12 – _Kaze wo Sagashite_.

**Brook's Clothes: **Normal black suit with a dark blue cravat tie and his black top hat.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"_And what about the others?"_

"_You mean Luffy?"_

"_He won't sit still after knowing what happened to us."_

"_Right, and he's the one who wanted to come here to begin with."_

"_I don't know what this god has hidden out here, but I'll doubt he'll let our captain just walk through."_

"_Between that, your theory, Nami's mental breakdown, and this other battle—"_

"_This whole thing has gotten more complicated."_

"_That's what I was going to say. Anyway, our shipmates are used being that deep in trouble, so I'm not worried. Getting bent out of shape over things that haven't happen is a waste of time."_

"_Good point." _– Episode 164

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"WHAT?! ZORO AND ROBIN GOT KIDNAPPED BY THE MARINES?!" Luffy's piercing voice caused the rest of his crew to cover their ears, much to Nami's annoyance.

"You dumbass, shut up!" she scolded, landing a good punch onto his crown. "You wanna let the whole town know our location?!"

"Who cares about that?! We gotta go rescue our friends!"

"We have to come up with a plan first!"

On the sidelines with the others, Sanji shook his head in exasperation. It'll take another five minutes or so until the Straw Hats' lovely navigator and moronic leader finish their squabble. Lighting a cigarette to help sooth his nerves, the cook watched the predictable scene unfold with the rest of their shipmates, worrying in silence of the welfare of their comrades that were in custody by the Marines. After witnessing Zoro and Robin's capture, he hurried back to the _Thousand Sunny _to inform the others instead of exposing himself to the enemy. As much as it pained him to leave his beautiful archeologist behind, it was the wisest course of action. There was no way he could save them by himself.

"Luffy, listen to _me_," Nami commanded firmly, cupping the Luffy's cheeks and squishing them together to shut him up. "I wanna go and rescue them, too, but think about what Sanji said! They have a base here on this island, and even if we go in there guns blazing, what do you think is going to happen?! They're setting us up, Luffy. We can't just waltz into their ambush without a counterattack, understand?"

Luffy paused for a moment and folded his arms over his torso. "Yeah, I understand."

She sighed in relief. "Good, now that we've got that covered, we should—"

"ZORO! ROBIN! I'M COMING FOR YOU GUYS!" Luffy hollered as he dashed off the _Sunny _and into town.

_That moron didn't listen to a single thing I said! _"YOU ASSHOLE! COME BACK HERE!"

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Captured, caged, and defenseless inside a heavily guarded prison with Marines at every corner should scare a normal person, right? However, Zoro and Robin were far normal. Her hands chained behind her back with Sea Prism Stone, the historian sat calmly to her equally tranquil lover, although he was royally pissed off on the inside for having his swords confiscated by the swordswoman the Marines addressed as Tashigi. After being thrown quite rudely into a cell, the man in charge of the base on the island, Smoker, boastfully admitted that she and Zoro were bait for his main target: Straw Hat Luffy. Once that was clearly stated, he and his right-hand woman took their leave from the dungeon.

Robin chuckled a bit. The last time she saw Smoker and Luffy in the same room together was in a prison in Alabasta—and _she_ was one of the people that put them in there to begin with. Oh, the irony of this situation.

"What're you laughing about?" the ex-bounty hunter inquired in a bored tone.

"Just thinking about the past."

Zoro exhaled lightly. "It amazes me that you can find humor while in this situation."

"Didn't you tell me back in Skypiea that I shouldn't get bent out of shape over things like this?"

"Touché."

"Besides, you're oddly relaxed, as well."

"Well, I don't see the point of freaking out when there isn't anything we can do to escape," he pointed out matter-of-factly. "My swords were taken, and your powers are being negated by the Sea Prism Stone chains. With any luck, Luffy and the others are on their way here now to rescue us."

"You think they realized that the Marines are planning an ambush for them?"

"Yep."

"Given what has happened to us, Luffy won't sit idly by and stand for this." The thought of her captain's impulsiveness brought a smile to her lips. "Knowing him, he'll probably rush in single-mindedly, without a plan, and causing Nami and the others some trouble."

The first mate nodded whole-heartedly. "That sounds about right."

"Are you worried?"

"Nope. They're use to sort of stuff now, they'll be fine."

"What happens if they won't make it to us in time? We're just bait for the main prize, after all, and the World Government is after my head just as much as they are after Luffy's. As a last resort, they'll probably execute us in front of the others as a threat or to shaken them long enough to arrest them."

"Must you be morbid?" Zoro sent her a hard glare. His eyes held such intensity that it almost made the raven-haired beauty gasp. Mere minutes ago, they were talking like two people discussing the weather, but now her lover gazed at her with fire burning in his dark orbs. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Robin. I promise you that much."

Guilt swamped her as she muttered out an apology. "You're right, I'm sorry. For everything."

"What do you mean?"

"It's my fault we're stuck in this mess. You surrendered because I was being threatened. I should've listen to you and went back to the _Sunny_, but I was so worried about you that I—"

"Quit fretting over that," he interrupted with a shrug of the shoulders. "It wasn't your fault. Besides, what's done is done. No use of playing the Blame Game when we should figure out how to escape, despite the situation we're in. I'd rather be dead than having that idiot cook come and rescue me, and I need to get swords back from that Marine chick."

At this, Robin felt her heart tightened. She needed to know why Zoro stopped her from killing that Marine woman earlier. "Zoro, may I ask you something?"

"Yeah?"

"Back there, why did you tell me not to kill that woman?" Her voice sounded bitter and melancholy. "What does she mean to you?"

A pregnant silence befell the couple. It was only natural that Robin would want an explanation for Zoro's ardent plea to spare the enemy that she despised with every fiber in her being. But how to say it so it doesn't sound ridiculous? Zoro contemplated on his response for what seemed like an eternity. He knew that Robin would ask him that, but he didn't think she would do it so soon.

Finally, he grounded out, "That Marine woman... She looks like Kuina."

Robin blinked, bewildered. "What?"

"She looks like... Ugh, don't make me say it again!" Zoro scowled in irritation, his face flushing. "Look, I know it's really stupid, but that Marine woman looks like Kuina."

"Your childhood friend that you were unknowingly in love with?"

The flush worsened. "I told you, it wasn't like that!"

"_Hmm-mmm_."

"What's with that unconvincing reply?! In any case, that isn't the point!" Zoro composed himself before proceeding. "When I first saw her, she reminded me so much of Kuina. I felt uncomfortable being around her because of it. When we clashed blades for the first time, I realized that if were to kill that woman, it would be like witnessing Kuina's death all over again. I know it's stupid, but—"

"It's not stupid," Robin inserted softly. "I understand what you're saying. It's only natural you would feel that way. Kuina was an important person to you, and having this Marine woman appeared right in front of you... I get it."

"...Thanks," he whispered.

Their conversation ceased as more Marines entered the room, talking to each other in hushed voices. As they did, Robin glimpsed at her lover's distressed mien as she felt her heart twist inside her bosom. Bringing up Kuina always saddened him, however... If this Tashigi woman reminded him so of his beloved childhood friend and rival, it is also possible that...

The raven-haired beauty hung her head low and bit down on her lip. _Could Zoro also have feelings for her?_

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"So, what's our plan of attack?" Nami quizzed as she and her crew hid in an alleyway right in front of the Marine base.

"The plan is to attack!" Luffy cried out with energy.

That earned him another whack on the head. "Shut up, idiot! I wasn't talking to you!"

"Actually, Nami," Sanji began, "I think our captain might be right this time."

The thief raised her eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"The way I see it, the Marines know that _we_ know that they're planning to ambush us, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that means that their main target would be this guy here." He jabbed a finger at their goofy Gum-Gum Devil Fruit user. "How about me, Luffy, Franky, and Brook take on the Marines as a distraction while you and the others go search for Robin?"

"And Zoro," Chopper added in.

Nami hesitated. "I don't know, Sanji, that seems like far-fetched plan. I mean, you said that the man in charge of this place is that Smoker guy, right? He's a Logia user and I know he has a score to settle with Luffy, which is why I'm worried. Luffy never actually got to fight him properly. The guy is freaking _smoke_! How do you beat an opponent like that?!"

"Then how about this? While Luffy's team is fighting off the Marines and Nami's team go looking for Zoro and Robin, I can look for Sea Prism Stone in their base?" Usopp suggested. "They should have them for the prisoners with Devil Fruit abilities. Once I find them, I'll give them to Sanji or Franky to put on Smoker."

"You're only volunteering so you can avoid battle, aren't you, Long Nose?" Franky called him out with a frown.

"Maybe..."

"It's not a bad idea," Sanji admitted. "Sure beats prolonging an endless battle between Luffy and a Logia user that he can't even hit. Plus, we could make our escape easier if our main enemy has his powers negated."

"Hmm... All right," Nami allowed reluctantly. "Luffy, Sanji, Franky, Brook, you guys go and distract the Marines. Chopper, you're with me. We can use your sense of smell to track down Zoro and Robin. Usopp, find Sea Prism Stone chains and bring it to Sanji as soon as you can. Make it snappy, that Smoker guy is a tough opponent. Everyone got that?"

"Got it!"

"All right, then!" Luffy grinned in anticipation, punching his right fist into his left palm. "Let's go rescue our friends!"

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

The minute that they heard a large _crash _followed by a loud _boom _and screams, the swordsman and archeologist immediately knew the cause of the commotion aboveground.

Zoro smirked. "Sounds like the gang is here."

"Seems like it," Robin concurred with a smile. "If I would take a guess, I'm sure Nami and Chopper will be here soon. Luffy and the others might be creating a diversion so they could come and rescue us."

"Well, they better hurry up. I feel vulnerable with my swords."

"Don't be so impatient. They'll be here soon."

About twenty minutes went by as the couple waited coolly inside their cell, keep their ears alert to the ruckus going on above them. Being loud and obnoxious, Luffy was the easiest to hear above the battle that was ensuring. No doubt that Luffy has already engaged Smoker in a fight. As for their saviors...

"ZORO~! ROBIN~!" hollered a voice that could only belong to their doctor. Chopper skidded in front of their cell, his body taking his Walk Point form, with Nami dashing behind him.

"Nami, Chopper," Zoro grinned mildly at the sight of his comrades. "About time you guys got here."

Nami scoffed at his ungratefulness. "Geez, how about a thank-you?"

"Just hurry up, will you? Where's the key?"

Reaching underneath her shirt to remove the chain of keys she hidden in her bosom, the thief winked and presented the silver object proudly. "Right here!"

"Thank you, Nami," Robin smiled at her best friend as she unlocked their prison and chains. She could feel her strength returning to her now that the Sea Prism Stone chains were off.

"Sure thing. Now, come on, we gotta go. Luffy and the others are holding the Marines off." She led them to the exit and to front of the base where the others are. In amidst of the fray, Luffy was fighting—well, attempting to fight—Smoker while shaking off the other soldiers off. As expected, he was laughing like he was having a party. "Luffy! We found Zoro and Robin! Where's Usopp?!"

"Don't know!" he answered as he dodged the top of Smoker's jutte. "Go find him! I'm kinda busy right now!"

"Nami," Zoro addressed her then. "You and the others go find Usopp. I'm going to get my swords back."

"What?! No!" she screeched. "I'm not going to let you run off on your and get yourself lost so you can go get your swords. We have to escape before the Marines get reinforcements here. We don't have time to go look for them."

"Like I give a damn!" he retorted hotly. "I'm not leaving here without my swords!"

"Be reasonable, Zoro! We can get you new swords when we get to the next island, okay?"

"_Hell no_. My swords... The Wadō Ichimonji, I can't just leave it behind," he declared with reverence. "It's more precious to me than my own life. If I can get recapture or die because of it, then so be it."

"That's crazy!" Nami gaped at him with shock. "Robin, talk some sense into his—Hey, where are you going?!"

Zoro rushed through the fray, maneuvering past the Marines while keeping a keen eye out for Tashigi. He knew that his swords were in her possession, so she was his prey. "I told you, didn't I?! I'm not leaving without them!"

"That idiot," Nami grumbled through clenched teeth.

"What do we do now?" Chopper asked worriedly. "We can't just leave without Zoro, and we still have to find Usopp."

"I'm going after him," Robin stated determinedly. "Please hold off the Marines a little longer."

"Wait, Robin!" Nami tried to stop her, but the other female pirate also disappeared amongst the fray. Frustrated, she threw her hands up in the air. "Ugh, I give up trying to reason with anyone on this insane crew!"

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

After running in many, many, _many _endless circles, Zoro found Tashigi on a bridge. Her sword drawn and her lackeys behind her, she readied herself for the upcoming challenge. Luckily, Zoro snatched two swords from the Marines he beat the crap out on his way up here. He was prepared for the duel, as well.

"Listen, woman," he began gruffly. "I said it before and I'm gonna say it again: You're no match for me. Give me back my swords and let's call it a day."

His swords were strapped to her hip by a holster. Tashigi shook her head in refusal. "You're crazy if you think I'm going to let you leave here with them. A pirate scrum like you doesn't deserve to have a legendary sword like the Wadō Ichimonji!"

"Hey!" he yelled, insulted. "First of all, you don't know crap! That sword was a gift to me! I earned it fair and square!"

"Liar! Pirates are nothing but thieves and murderers! You probably stole it from someone!"

"You really think I give two craps about your biased opinion on pirates?" he countered in aggravation. "Just give me my swords so I can ditch this stupid place!"

"Why, you...!" Tashigi charged forth and attacked.

Zoro easily blocked it with one sword. "Seriously? You're never gonna win if you don't put enough muscle into that swing."

"Don't belittle me!" She struck again.

_I don't have time for this! _Using every ounce of strength he got, he pushed his blade against her, shoving her back with all of his might. She was pushing, too, but to no avail. With a harsh shove, he put distance between them and threw one of his swords in her direction. She gasped and dodged with a spin. Taking the advantage of her back facing him, he dashed forward and grabbed his swords from her holster.

"Hey!" She swiftly pivoted when she felt the swords being removed from her person. "Give those back!"

Zoro was already running to his side of the bridge with a victorious smirk plastered on his mien. "Hate to break it to you, but these swords don't belong to you. They're mine, and you are _never_ going to take them away from me."

Gripping the Wadō tightly in his left hand, he raised it and sliced the bridge in half. It was made of stone, so it was like a knife cutting through butter for me. His action further angered the swordswoman. "Roronoa! How dare—"

"Skip the self-righteous speech. I gotta run, so I can't have you guys following me," he intercepted in a bored tone. "See ya."

"I'm not letting you escape!" Impulsively, Tashigi rushed and leaped in an attempt to get over to his side. Her arms extended out, her fingers barely brushed against the edge of the stone. Panic and a sense of death crawled under her skin as she started to fall. _NO! I can't die—_

A hand shot down and grabbed her wrist. "You idiotic fool! What kind of stupid stunt was that?! Are you in a hurry to die or something?!"

She glanced up at her rescuer. "Roronoa!"

"Geez, of all of the..." the ex-bounty hunter groaned as he slowly hefted her up. "And before you even start, I don't want to hear any sort of crap sprouting from your mouth about you dying rather than accepting help from a pirate!"

"Zoro!" a voice called out to him from behind.

He whirled his head around to the source. "Robin?! What the hell are you doing here?!"

Ignoring the fact her boyfriend was dangling the Marine woman by the arm over a ledge, she replied, "I was worried about you."

"Give me a sec!"

_Is he trying to save her? _Her brows furrowed in displeasure at the sight of Zoro pulling Tashigi up. In the moment, her previous question niggled at her brain. _Is it possible for him to have feelings for her? She may look like Kuina, but..._

"Robin, let's go!" She felt a tug on her arm and she realized that Zoro was by her side, grasping her arm. Tashigi was safe, breathing heavily from her near death situation.

"Okay." Resisting the urge to use her powers to finish what she started in Alabasta, she swiveled and made off with her lover.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"You won't escape, Straw Hat!"

"Go, go, go! Shishishi!"

"Quit laughing, monkey boy! There's nothing funny about our situation!"

"Aw, why you're yelling at me for, Sanji? Zoro's the one that got caught!"

"Shut up, idiot!"

"All three of you are idiots! Stop bickering and run!"

"I'd run to the ends of the world for you, Nami-swan~!"

As the Straw Hats dashed through the streets of the island, Marines were in hot pursuit of them. Their plan worked out pretty well...more or less.

Good news: They rescued their comrades.

Bad news: Smoker was on their tail with a freaking army to back him up!

"Ugh! I really hate you right now, Usopp!" Nami complained, shooting daggers at the sharpshooter running beside her. "What happened to getting the Sea Stone Prism chains so we can locked them on Smoker?!"

"I told you! The base was huge! If you didn't interrupt my expedition, I probably would've find where the Marines kept them," he retorted in defense. "Besides, why are you so pissed? You know that our plans either worked half the time or not at all!"

"You know, Straw Hat," Franky piped with a teasing grin, "I think that Logia user back there might be obsess with you. He's been calling you out this entire time."

"Shishishi," Luffy chortled merrily. "Me and Smokey go way back! We never did get to finish our fights. In spite of that, I like him, too! He's actually a pretty cool guy."

"That naïveté of yours is going to get you killed one of these days, Luffy," Zoro stated. "I should've let him drowned in Alabasta."

"But he's not a bad person, even if he is our enemy."

"Are you guys _seriously_ having this conversation when the person you're talking is hell-bent on capturing us?!" Nami yelled in ire.

"I see the _Sunny_!" wailed Chopper from atop of Brook's head. "We can make it!"

"Franky, can we use Coup de Burst?" the cartographer inquired.

"Sure thing, sis! All cola barrels are locked and loaded!"

"Good, then as soon as all of us are on board, launch the _Sunny_!"

"Aye-aye!" The carpenter hopped over to the helm as soon he and the others arrived on the ship. Obeying his instructions, he sent his beloved _Thousand Sunny _into the sky. While everyone else was bracing themselves on anything they could grab on, Luffy leaped the dome-shaped roof of the library and bathhouse and waved good-naturedly at the Logia Devil Fruit user they left seething on the island.

"Bye-bye, Smokey! Great seeing you again! Today was fun!"

From below, his friends (minus Robin) furiously clamored, "IT WAS _NOT_ FUN!"

Luffy acted like he hadn't heard that. "Let's do it again some time, okay?"

"_HELL NO_!"

"Killjoys," Luffy pouted as he landed back on the grassy deck.

"You, be quiet," Nami ordered sternly, and then she pivoted to Zoro. "And you, Zoro, I can't believe you got yourself and Robin kidnapped by the Marines!"

"Yeah, Zoro, that really was stupid of you," Luffy laughed.

The ex-bounty hunter glared and pulled on his captain's rubbery cheek. "Shut up, I really don't want to hear that from you of all people."

"Ow, don't be mean!"

"Hey, moss-head! Don't think I'm going to forgive for putting Robin in danger!" Sanji piped up and his usual petty quarrels with his rival began. Once the _Sunny _plopped down to the sea and Nami gave her next instructions to Franky, she whisked Robin into their bedroom and settled on the latter's bed, leaving the boys to do whatever boys do.

"Okay, so spill!" she squealed excitedly. "Did you tell him? Did you tell Zoro that you love him?"

Robin stared the tight fists in her lap. "No... I was going to, but we were interrupted and then apprehended by the Marines."

"What?!" Nami's jaw dropped in disbelief. "Damn it, that sucks. The opportunity I gave was you was wasted, after all."

"Yes, I'm sorry."

"Well, there's no use crying over it," she sighed tiredly. "Don't be so glum, Robin, you'll have plenty of chances to tell Zoro how you feel. If you want, I can help you. We can make it the perfect, biggest, and dramatic confession ever!"

"Oh, no. That's quite all right."

Nami frowned and peered at her best friend's azure orbs that were wet with unshed tears. "Hey, Robin... What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Nami," the archeologist replied immediately. Too immediate for Nami's taste.

"Robin, come on, don't lie to me. You can tell me anything, you know that, right?"

"I'm tired, Nami, I'm doing to lay down for a bit. Wake me up when it's time for supper, all right?"

As Robin lowered herself down on the bed, Nami had no other choice but to accept that their conversation was over. For now. She had a long day, so Nami will back off and give her space. "Okay, Robin. Whatever you want."

_But that doesn't mean I won't grill Zoro for info._

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"What do you mean?" Zoro crossed his arms and titled his head to one side.

Standing in the center of the men's quarters, Nami exhaled in exasperation and slowly enunciated, "Did. Anything. _Weird_. Happened. With. You. And. Robin?"

"Don't talk to me like a child!"

"Answer the damn question!"

"You mean besides getting kidnapped by the Marines and being stuck in a holding cell for over an hour? Then, no."

"Don't be cheeky," Nami chastised with a wagging finger. "Zoro, I'm serious. Robin didn't seem like herself earlier."

"Nami, she was probably just exhausted from today."

"C'mon, Zoro! There must be something you're not telling me!"

It was Zoro's turn to sigh. "Look, Nami, I know you're worried and all, but not everything has to be in code with Robin."

Deadpanned, Nami facepalmed and groaned at the stupidity that all men seemed to have when it comes to women. "You moron! Of course everything is in _code_! We're _girls_, it's what we _do_! We act and talk in code so we can help you men develop some level of competence when it comes to us!"

The swordsman arched an eyebrow, perplexed. "Huh? Really?"

"Yes, really!" Nami looked agitated now. "Okay, you know what? Just go talk to Robin, please. See if she talks to you."

"All right, sheesh. I'll talk to her," he said with a grumble.

She beamed in delight. "Great! And while you're at it, tell her that you love her!"

"Wait, _what_?!" Zoro blanched, cheeks flushing. "Where did _that_ come from?!

Her lips curled into a mischievous smirk. "Aw, come on! You do love Robin, right?"

At a loss for words, he sputtered incoherently. Robin told him that Nami and Franky knew about their relationship, but for Nami to utter _that_... Well, that's crossing a line with him.

"And since I'm such a _generous_ girl, I'd be more than happy to help set up the perfect scene and mood for the two to you to confess for your love for each other! For a price, that is."

"Out!" Zoro grasped Nami by the shoulders, moved her past the door, and slammed it in her face.

She huffed and kicked the panel. "Jerk!"

"Brat!"

Afterwards, Zoro lay down in his bunk. It'll a while until dinner started, so he might as well take a nap. As he closed his eyelids shut, his mind flashbacked to this afternoon.

_Come to think of it, she was trying to tell me something..._

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"So, what was all that about?" Franky quizzed as he watched the orange-haired woman marched across the deck to where he sat against the tree. She planted her bottom on the swing and puffed her cheeks out in annoyance.

"Something's bothering Robin, and she won't tell me what it is. Predictably, Zoro's oblivious to it."

"You're her best pal on this ship, she'll tell you when she wants to."

"Think so?"

"Yep! Back when I was the leader of the Franky Family, we tell each other everything."

"Yeah, because they worshipped and adored you. I know Robin loves us, but she's not exactly the most...expressive person in the world. I mean, I get that everyone is entitled to their own secrets, but I want her to trust me with her thoughts and feelings. She's like a sister to me, you know."

"That's grand and dandy, but doesn't give us the right to meddle in their relationship. Besides, why don't you focus on your love life instead of hers?" The blue-haired man's tone was humorous and insinuating.

Nami blushed bright red. "Shut up! I don't have a love life, given that the fact that all the men on this ship is either a pervert, an idiot, or not even human!"

"Uh-huh." He was _so_ not buying that. "Then why were you so serious when you told me and the others not to tell Straw Hat about the misunderstanding between you and Zoro-bro?"

"Franky, shut up or _pay up_!"

"What?! That's so not cool, sis!"

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"Hey." Zoro yanked his girlfriend aside as Luffy and the others strolled to the kitchen for dinner.

Robin faked a charming smile. "Yes?"

"You okay? Nami said that you were acting weird earlier."

"No, I'm fine," she responded casually, but there a flicker of fear in her cobalt eyes.

Although he was unconvinced, he nodded. "...All right. By the way, before things shot to hell back in town, you were trying to tell me something. What was it?"

The question elicited a visible reaction from the raven-haired beauty. She flinched and her mouth parted and closed twice as she struggled with her inner turmoil. She wanted to tell him. She truly did, but after what happened today and the revelation about Tashigi and Kuina, doubts have plagued her and caused her resolve to waver. Averting her gaze elsewhere, Robin managed to ground out her reply.

"It's not important. Forget it."

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"_I hate to disappoint, but you'll __**never**__ get this sword from me!"_ – Episode 53

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

**A/N: **I hate this chapter, it feels...bland to me. And like I said before, fighting scenes aren't my forte, so apologies for the bore. I'm super excited for the end of my beloved _One Piece _story. Are you ready for the last chapter next month? ;)

Anyway, I have some great news for those who haven't heard yet: **FUNimation **announced on July 4, 2013, at the **Anime Expo** that _**One Piece Film: Strong World **_will be release on November 19, 2013. Spread the word, everyone!Remember to support the _One Piece_ series by buying the DVDs and by watching episodes on **OnePieceOfficial**,** Neon Alley****, **or**Toonami**.


End file.
